Holy living in which are described the means and instruments of obtaining every virute, and the remedies against every vice, and considerations serving to the resisting all temptations : together with prayers containing the whole duty of a Christian, and the parts of devotion occasians [sic], and furnished for all necessities / by Jer. Taylor.

Rules for the practice of Prayer.

1. Wee must bee careful that wee never ask any thing of God that is sinful, or that directly ministers to sin: for that is to ask of God to dishonour himself, and to undoe us: we had need consider what we pray▪ for be∣fore it returns in blessing it must be join'd with Christs intercession, and presented to God: Let us principally ask of God power and assistances to doe our duty, to glorifie God, to do good works, to live a good life, to die in the fear and favour of God, and eternal life: these things God delights to g••ve, and commands that we shall ask, and wee may with confidence exspect to be an∣swered graciously; for these things are pro∣mised without any reservation of a secret condition: if we ask them, and do our duty towards the obtaining them, we are sure ne∣ver to miss them.

2. Wee may lawfully pray to God for the gifts of the Spirit that minister to holy ends, such as are the gift of preaching, the spirit of praier, good expression, a ready and un∣loosed tongue▪ good understanding, learning, opportunities to publish them, &c. with these onely restraints. 1. That wee cannot be so confident of the event of those praiers, as of the former. 2. That we must be curious to secure our intention in these desires, that we may not ask them to serve our own ends, but onely for Gods glorie, and then we shall have them, or a blessing for desiring them. In order to such purposes our intentions in the first desires cannot bee amiss; because

they are able to sanctifie other things, and therefore cannot be unhallowed themselves. 3. Wee must submit to Gods Will, desiring him to choose our imployment, and to furnish our persons as hee shall see ex∣pedient.

3. Whatsoever we may lawfully desire of temporal things, wee may lawfully ask of God in praier, and we may expect them as they are promised. 1. Whatsoever is necessary to our life and beeing is pro∣mised to us; and therefore wee may with certainty expect food and raiment; food to keep us alive; clothing to keep us from nakedness and shame; so long as our life is permitted to us, so long all things necessary to our life shall be mi∣nistred: wee may be secure of mainte∣nance, but not secure of life, for that is promised, not this: onely concerning food and raiment we are not to make ac∣counts by the measure of our desires, but by the measure of our needs. 2. Whatsoever is convenient for us, pleasant, and modest∣ly delectable, we may pray for; so we do it. 1. with submission to Gods will. 2. With∣out impatient desires. 3. That it be not a trifle and inconsiderable, but a matter so grave and concerning, as to bee a fit mat∣ter to bee treated on between God and our souls. 4. That we ask it not to spend up∣on our lusts, but for ends of justice, or charitie, or religion, and that they be im∣ploied with sobriety.

4. Hee that would pray with effect must live with care and piety. For although

God gives to sinners and evil persons the common blessings of life and chance,* 1.1 yet ei∣ther they want the comfort and blessing of those blessings, or they become occasions of sadder accidents to them, or serve to upbraid them in their ingratitude or irreligion: and in all cases, they are not the effects of praier, or the fruits of promise, or instances of a fa∣thers love; for they cannot bee expected with confidence, or received without dan∣ger, or used without a cu••se and mischief in their company. * But as all sin is an impe∣diment to praier, so some have a special in∣disposition towards acceptation; such are Uncharitableness and wrath, Hypocrisie in the present action, Pride and Lust: because these by defiling the bodie or the spirit, or by contradicting some necessarie ingredient in praier (such as are Mercie, Humilitie, Pu∣ritie, and Sinceritie) do defile the praier, and make it a direct sin in the circumstan∣ces, or formalitie of the action.

5. All praier must bee made with Faith and Hope: that is, wee must certainly be∣lieve wee shall receive the grace which GOD hath commanded us to ask: and wee must hope for such things which he hath permit∣ted us to ask;* 1.2 and our Hope shall not bee vain, though wee miss what is not absolute∣ly promised, because wee shall at least have an equal blessing in the denial, as in the grant. And therefore the former conditi∣ons must first bee secured; that is, that wee ask things necessarie, or at least good and innocent and profitable; and that our per∣sons bee gracious in the eies of God; or

else what God hath promised to our natural need••, hee may in many degrees denie to our personal incapacitie; but the thing bring secur'd, and the person dispos'd, th••••e can bee no fault at all: for whatsoever 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••e∣mains is on God's part, and that cannot possibly f••••l. But because the things which are not commanded cannot possibly bee se∣cured (for wee are not sure they are good in all circumstances) wee can but hope for such things even after wee have secur'd our good intentions. Wee are sure of a blessing, but in what instance we are not yet assured.

6. Our praiers must bee fervent, intense, earnest and importunate when wee praie for things of high concernment and necessitie.* 1.3 [Continuing instant in praier: striving in praier: labouring fervently in praier: night and day praying exceedingly: praying alwaies with all praier] ••o S. Paul calls it [watch∣ing unto praier] so S. Peter: praying ear∣nestly] so S. James: and this is not at all to bee abated in matters spiritual, and of dutie: for according as our desires are, so are our praiers; and as our praiers are, so shall bee the grace; and as that is, so shall bee the measure of glorie. But this admitts of de∣grees according to the perfection or imperfe∣ction of our state of life: but it hath no other measures, but ought to bee as great as it can, the bigger the better; wee must make no positive restraints upon it our selvs. In other things we are to use a bridle: and as wee must limit our desires with submission to Gods will: so also we must limit the impor∣tunitie of our praiers by the moderation and

term of our desires. Pray for it as earnestly as you may desire it.

7. Our desires must be lasting, and our praiers frequent, assiduous and continual: not asking for a blessing once and then leav∣ing it; but daily renewing our snits, and ex∣ercising our hope, and faith, and patience, and long-suffering, and Religion, and resignati∣on, and self-denial in all the degrees we shall be put to. This circumstance of duty our blessed Saviour taught, saying, [That men ought alwaies to pray and not to faint] Al∣waies to pray signifies the frequent doing of the duty in general:* 1.4 but because we cannot alwaies ask several things, and we also have frequent need of the same things, and those are such as concern our great interest, the precept comes home to this very circum∣stance; and S. Paul calls it, [praying without ceasing] and himself in his own case gave a precedent:* 1.5 [For this cause I besought the Lord thrice.] And so did our blessed Lord, he went thrice to God on the same errand, with the same words in a short space, about half a night; for his time to sollicite his suit was but short:* 1.6 and the Philippians were remem∣bred by the Apostle, their spiritual Father al∣waies in every prayer of his. And thus we must alwaies pray for the pardon of our sins, for the assistance of Gods grace, for charity, for life eternal, never giving over till we dye: and thus also we pray for supply of great temporal needs in their several proportions: in all cases being curious we do not give o∣ver out of weariness, or impatience: For God oftentimes defers to grant our suit, because

he loves to hear us beg it, & hath a design to give us more then we ask, even a satisfaction of our desires, and a blessing for the very importunity.

8. Let the words of our prayers be pertinent, grave, material, not studiously many, but ac∣cording to our need, sufficient to express our wants, and to signifie our importunity. God hears us not the sooner for our many words, but much the sooner for an earnest desire, to which let apt and sufficient words minister, be they few, or many, according as it happens. A long praier and a short, differ not in their capacities of being accepted; for both of them take their value according to the fervency of spirit, and the charity of the praier. That prai∣er which is short by reason of an impatient spirit, or dulness, or despite of holy things, or in differency of desires, is very often criminal, alwaies imperfect; and that praier which is long out of ostentation, or superstition, or a trifling spirit, is as criminal and imperfect as the other in their several instances. This rule relates to private praier. In publick, our de∣votion is to be measured by the appointed office, and we are to support our spirit with spiritual arts, that our private spirit may be a part of the publick spirit, and be adopt∣ed into the society and blessings of the com∣munion of Saints.

9. In all forms of praier mingle peti∣tion with thanksgiving, that you may endear the present praier, and the future blessing by returning praise and thanks for what we have already received. This is Saint Pauls advice, [Bee careful for nothing,

but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests bee made known unto God.]

10. Whatever we beg of God, let us al∣so work for it; if the thing be matter of du∣ty, or a consequent to industry. For God loves to bless labour and to reward it,* 1.7 but not to support idleness. And therefore our blessed Saviour in his Sermons joins watchfulness with praier: for Gods gra∣ces are but assistances, not new creations of the whole habit in every instant, or period of our life. Read Scriptures, and then pray to GOD for understanding: pray against temptation, but you must also resist the Devil, and then he will flee from you. Ask of GOD competency of living, but you must also work with your hands, the things that are honest, that ye may have to supplie in time of need: We can but do our endea∣vour, and pray for blessing, and then leave the success with GOD: and beyond this we cannot deliberate, wee cannot take care; but so far we must.

To this purpose let every man studie his praiers, and read his dutie in his petitions. For the bodie of our praier is the summe of our dutie; and as wee ask of God what∣soever we need; so we must labour for all that we ask. Because it is our dutie, there∣fore wee must pray for Gods grace: but be∣cause Gods grace is necessarie, and without it we can do nothing, we are sufficiently taught, that in the proper matter of our re∣ligious

praiers, is the just matter of our du∣ty: and if wee shall turn our praiers into precepts, we shall ••he easier turn our hearty desires into effective practices.

12. In all our praiers we must be careful to attend our present work,* 1.8 having a pre∣sent minde, not wandring upon imperti∣nent things, not distant from our words, much less contrary to them: and if our thoughts do at any time wander, and divert upon other objects, bring them back again with prudent and severe a••ts; by all means stri∣ving to obtain a diligent, a sober, an untrou∣bled and a composed spirit.

13. Let your posture and gesture of bo∣die in praiers bee reverent, grave, and humble; according to publick order, or the best examples, if it be in publick; if it be in private, either stand or kneel, or lie flat upon the ground on your face, in your ordi∣nary and more solemn praiers; but in extra∣ordinary, casual, and ejaculatory praiers, the reverence and devotion of the soul, and the lifting up the eies and hands to God with any other posture not undecent, is usual and com∣mendable; for we may pray in bed, on horse∣back, every where and at all times,* 1.9 and in all circumstances: and it is well if we do so; and some servants have not opportunity to pray so often as they would, unless they supply the appetites of Religion by such accidental de∣votions.

14. [Let prayers and supplications▪* 1.10 and gi∣ving of thanks be made for all men: for Kings and all that are in authoritie: For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savi∣our.]

We who must love our Neighbours as our selves, must also pray for them as for our selves: with this onely difference; that we may enlarge in our temporal desires for Kings, and pray for secular prosperity to them with more importunity then for our selves; because they need more to enable their duty and government, and for the interests of Religion and Justice. This part of praier is by the Apostle called [Intercession] in which with special care we are to remember our Relatives, our Family, our Charge, our Bene∣factours, our creditours; not forgetting to beg pardon and charity for our Enemies, and protection against them.

14. Relye not on a single praier in matters of great concernment: but make it as pub∣lick as you can by obtaining of others to pray for you: this being the great blessing of the communion of Saints, that a praier united is strong, like a well ordered Army; and God loves to be tied fast with such cords of love, and constrained by a holy violence.

15. Every time that is not seaz'd upon by some other duty, is seasonable enough for praier; but let it be performed as a solemn duty morning and evening, that God may be∣gin and end all our business, and the out∣goings of the morning and evening may praise him; for so we bless God, and God blesses us. And yet sail not to finde or make opportu∣nities to worship God at some other times of the day; at least by ejaculations and short addresses: more or less, longer or shorter, solemnly or without solemnity, privately or publickly, as you can, or are permitted: al∣waies

remembring, that as every sin is a degree of danger and unsafety; so every pious praier and well-imploied oppor∣tunity is a degree of return to hope and pardon.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1 Iohn. 3.31 Iohn 9.31. Isa 1.15. & 58.7. Mal. 3 10. 1 Tim 2 8. Psal •• 16. & 66 8.
• * 1.2

  Mark 11.24. Iam. 5.6, 7.
• * 1.3

  Rom 12.18 & 15.30. Col. 4.12. 1 ••he••. 3.10 Ephes 6 18. ••am 5.16. 1 Pet. 1.7.
• * 1.4

  Luke 18 1.22.1, 36.
• * 1.5

  1 ••hes. 5.17.
• * 1.6

  ••••il. 1.4.
• * 1.7

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Arrian l. 2. c. 36.
• * 1.8

  Inter sac••a & v••t•• ve••∣••is etiam pro∣fanis a•• stine∣r•• me. Tacit.
• * 1.9

  1 Tim. 2.8.
• * 1.10

  1 Tim. 1.••.