Moses his prayer. Or, An exposition of the nintieth Psalme.: In which is set forth, the frailty and misery of mankind; most needfull for these times. Wherein [brace] 1. The sum and scope. 2. The doctrines. 3. The reasons. 4. The uses of most texts are observed. / By Samuel Smith, minister of the Gospel, author of Davids repentance and the Great assize, and yet living.

A Prayer of Moses the man of God.

THE last particular in the title is the time when Moses composed this prayer. [unspec 4] * 1.1 viz. when the Church and people of God were in great affliction and distress now in the Wilderness, be∣ing almost wasted and consumed with the plague and pestilence, and other Judgements of God upon them for their sins.

Now in asmuch as they make this their onely refuge to fly unto God by prayer. [Doct. 4] * 1.2 The Doctrine is

That the time of affliction is the the time of prayer. This Moses and the people of God at this time make their onely Refuge to fly unto God, to humble themselves before him, and intreat the pardon of their sinns, and that the Lord would turn away his wrath, and return again in favour and mercy towards them: and indeed this is the Argument of this Psalm. And this is such a remedy as the Lord himself prescribes. * 1.3 Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will hear thee and deliver thee: Where the Lord pre∣scribes

this as the chiefest remedy, and refuge in times of calamity and distress, To seek unto God by prayer. This doth Moses and the people of God at this time of great affliction and distresse, when they were almost wast∣ed and consumed with the Plague and Pestilence; they fly unto God as their onely Refuge in this time of distresse.

And this hath been the practice of Gods Church, and people in all ages. The Jewes in Hesters time when Ha∣man had laid his plot utterly to de∣stroy them, * 1.4 they make God their Refuge. Thus when Senacherib sent a mighty Host against Hezechiah and his people; * 1.5 He spreads his blasphemous letters before the Lord, and makes an earnest prayer unto God. Thus was it with good King Jehosophat when the Ammonits & Moabits came up against them, that hee and his people were at that straight, that they knew not what to do, or which way to turne themselves, yet flying unto God by prayer were delivered.

And this the Lord himselfe doth

witnesse unto, when he saith, * 1.6 I will be unto Ephraim as a Lyon, and as a young Lyon to the house of Judah, &c. till they acknowledge their offences and seek my face, for in their affliction they will seek me early. And so indeed they did, for immediately they call on one another, and provoke one another, Come let us return unto the Lord, * 1.7 for he hath wounded us, and he will heale us.

And if wee look into particular Ex∣amples, wee shall find, that Gods ser∣vants in their greatest straights have still had recourse to God. Jonas in the Whales belly. * 1.8 Out of the belly of Hell cryed I, and thou heardst my voice.

Manasses albeit in the time of his prosperity, he forgat God: * 1.9 yet in his tribulation, hee knew God to be the Lord, and humbled himselfe greatly before him.

Thus David in all times of his distresse had still recourse to God. * 1.10 The Lord is my strength in whom I trust, my shield, my salvation, and my refuge.

Thus Paul buffited by Sathan, * 1.11

prayes three times. So that the point is clear and plain, that the only refuge of Gods Church and people in time of affliction and distresse, hath ever been Gods bosome, as a sure refuge.

And great Reason.

Because it is the Lord that hath the principal hand in all the tryalls & affli∣ctions of his people. [Reas. 1] Now who can cure the wound better than he that gave it, * 1.12 It is he that killeth, and maketh alive. He woundeth and he healeth. When we are judged, we are chastned of the Lord. * 1.13 And he is said to be the God that heareth prayers, and therefore to him shall all flesh come.

Secondly, [Reas. 2] affliction bringeth men to a more clear, certain, and experi∣mentall knowledge of God, and of our selves.

1. * 1.14 Of God, as Manasses by his af∣fliction knew that God was the Lord.

2. Of our selves, for now the Lord awakens conscience, and brings our former sins to remembrance, that we had forgotten, as Job hath it, If they be bound with fetters, * 1.15 and holden with the cords of affliction, then he sheweth

them their works, and their transgres∣sions that they have exceeded.

When sicknesse comes, and affliction seize upon us, that we know not which way to turn our selves; then if ever we begin to look up to God, the thoughts of death, and the thoughts of eternity, will make the most desperate and hard-hearted sinner to look about him.

Object. But do we not see, [Object.] that ma∣ny that have been under Gods hand, have had piercing sorrowes, and sore afflictions, and yet have not been hum∣bled, nor brought nearer to God, but are as Ahaz, that in time of his distresse, * 1.16 he sinned yet more against the Lord.

Answ. 'Tis true, [Answ.] this is not true of all, neither doth affliction in its own nature drive us to God: But this comes only from God, who sanctifies affliction for the good of his chosen. To wicked men they are the beginning of sorrowes, and tend to their further ruine, as they were to Pharaoh: but they tend to the great benefit to such as love and fear God, * 1.17 to whom all things work for their best.

Is the time of affliction the time that God is to be sought unto by prayer: [Use 1] then let this minde us of our duty, whether our afflictions be Nationall or personall, to flye unto God as our only refuge. There is a strange expression of the Prophet, Hear the rod, and who hath appointed it. * 1.18 Hear the rod What is that? Why all Gods rods are spea∣king rods: all Gods rods utter a voice or a cry, and therefore must be heark∣ned unto, * 1.19 Man suffereth for his sin. Our sufferings then do tell us of our sins, and the Lord saith, I will plead against them by the pestilence, and by blood. Afflictions are Gods messengers, and alwaies come with a message from God, & that is, that we finde out in our selves the cause of Gods displeasure, and that we speedily meet the Lord by repentance. And when Gods hand is up∣on us in what kind soever, every soule should make this application to him∣self, * 1.20 as to say, Hast thou not procured this unto thy selfe, in asmuch as thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God? Surely it was a sad complaint that the Lord takes up, I have corrected them, but

they have not been humbled. The Lord help us to finde out the plague of our own hearts, wherefore the hand of God is gone out this day a∣gainst the Land so many waies. And yet, O the cursed Atheisme of our hearts, that lay no more Gods judg∣ments to heart: the Pestilence hath spoken aloud to us, the sword hath spoken aloud, and this strange sick∣nesse and visitation that hath swept a∣way so many hath spoken aloud, all calling upon this Land and Nation for speedy repentance. But we have not laid Gods judgments to heart, we have not been humbled to this day.

Secondly, [Use 2] seeing the bosome of the Lord is the best refuge to flye unto in times of distresse, we may see the hap∣py estate and condition of Gods chil∣dren above all the wicked in the world: in their greatest miseries they are never left without comfort; where∣as wicked and ungodly ones, God hears them not in the time of distresse. 'Tis true, in time of misery, wicked men wil cry & call; but God hears them not, nor regards their cries, They cried not

to me when they howled upon their beds. * 1.21 O when the Lord shall make no more account of our prayers then the very howlings of a Dogg who is able to put to silence the voice of desperation? But now for the godly, the Lord doth not only give them free liberty to come to the Throne of grace, in times of misery, but doth give them a comfortable as∣surance that they shall be heard, * 1.22 Ask, and ye shall have. And if earthly Fa∣thers can give unto their children good things, much more will our heavenly Father give, not only what we ask, but more abundantly, * 1.23 Above all that we are able to ask or think.

Enemies, Tyrants, Death, Devills, cannot make a true believer miserable, that hath such a God to flye unto.

Thirdly, [Use 3] seeing the Lord hath re∣corded in his Word the prayers of his servants, we may take notice of the great mercy of God towards us, in this age of the world: for whereas we are ignorant, and know not how to pray, the Lord hath provided for our weaknesse and ignorance, and hath left us patterns of prayers, that were

made by the holy servants of God, that so we might use them in the like case, as Psalm 92. A Psalm for the Sabbath, as most proper for that day. So here, A Prayer of Moses, when the Church was in great affliction and distresse. * 1.24 So the Prayer of Daniel, Nehemiah, Da∣vid. &c. which we may use in the like case as they did.

So that there is none in the Church that can plead ignorance, but they may learn out of Gods Book how to pray. The Lord deals with his people as a Father with his child bids him say af∣ter him. Thus doth the Lord with his people, Take unto you words, * 1.25 and say thus; Take away all iniquity, and re∣ceive us graciously, and so will we ren∣der the calves of our lips. And the Lord foretells by his Prophet, that he will powre upon every member of his Church this Spirit of supplication and of prayer. * 1.26

But may set forms of prayer be used, [Quest.] or may this Psalm of Moses be used in the like time of the Churches mise∣ry and distresse? or may we pray by a book?

Answ. [Answ.] There is no doubt, but the Church of God, and the particular members of it, may use set forms of prayer. Christ himselfe, the great Do∣ctor of his Church, prescribes to his Disciples a form of prayer; not only to be a pattern and sampler, as some would have it, * 1.27 After this manner pray ye; but also that they might pray in those very words; * 1.28 as, When ye pray, say Our Father, &c. The purest Churches have had their Lythurgies, and set forms of prayer.

And for Heads of families, where the spirit of prayer is wanting, and such other qualifications, as are necessary in prayer, a set form may, and ought to be used.

For every child of God, though he have an honest heart, yet hath he not ever a flowing tongue, but is weak in invention, frail in memory, bashfull and fearfull: Such may use the help of others in a forme prescribed before them, with this condition,

That they take heed that they rest not in those beginnings. It is requisite that the Nurse take the child by the

hand at first to teach it to goe. But she will not alwaies give it the hand.

The Lord lookes for a proficiency at our hands, as in all gracee, so in the gift of prayer.

Besides the daily occurrences that come in upon us in this life, some∣times fresh temptations, from Sathan; troubles from the world, and the workings of corruptions daily within us call for a powring out of our hearts to God, and the inlargings of our re∣quests, which many times are not in our stinted prayers.

Besides, God hath promised, To him that hath shall be given. By the con∣scionable use of thy small gift thou hast in thee, thou shalt increase it, and perform it daily with more comfort.

And that this prayer of Moses may be used in times of common Calami∣ties; It is the Churches constant pra∣ctice to make use of severall Psalmes, upon severall occasions, to be sung in our Churches, as Ps. 92. Ps. 22. Ps. 39. Ps. 102. &c. Hitherto of the title of the Psalm.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The time when Moses made this pray∣er.
• * 1.2

  The time of af∣fliction is the time of prayer.
• * 1.3

  Ps. 50.15
• * 1.4

  Hest. 4.
• * 1.5

  2 Reg. 19.17. 2 Cron. 20.
• * 1.6

  Hos. 5.14.
• * 1.7

  Hos. 6.1.
• * 1.8

  Ion 2.1, 2.
• * 1.9

  2 Chron. 33.
• * 1.10

  Ps. 18.3, 4.
• * 1.11

  1 Cor. 12
• * 1.12

  Deut. 32.39. Hos. 6.1.
• * 1.13

  1 Cor. 11.32.
• * 1.14

  2 Chron. 33.13.
• * 1.15

  Job 36.8, 9.
• * 1.16

  2 Chron. 28.22.
• * 1.17

  Rom. 8.28.
• * 1.18

  Mic. 6.9.
• * 1.19

  Lam. 3.39.
• * 1.20

  Jer. 2.1••.
• * 1.21

  Hos. 7.14.
• * 1.22

  Mat. 7.
• * 1.23

  Ephes. 3.20.
• * 1.24

  Dan. 9.
• * 1.25

  Hos. 14.3.
• * 1.26

  Zach. 12.10.
• * 1.27

  Mat. 6.9.
• * 1.28

  Lnke 11.2.