h wise, in the virtue of our fellowship with him, must in a subordinate sense be heirs of all things too. "All is yours," saith the apostled, "and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's." "Fidelis quippe hominis mundus divitiarum est❞— "the saints," saith St. Austin", "have all the world for their possession." And if it be here demanded how this can be true, since we find the saints of God often in great want, and it would doubtless be sin in them to usurp another man's goods upon presumption of that promise that Christ is theirs, and with him all things; to this I answer, first in general; as Christ, though he were the heir of all things, yet for our sakes became poor, that we by his poverty might be made rich; so God oftentimes pleaseth to make the faithful partake, not only in the privileges, but in the poverty of Christ, that even by that means they may be rich in faith' and dependance upon God, as St. James spake; "having nothing, and yet possessing all things "." 2. All is ours in regard of Christian liberty; though our hands are bound from the possession, yet our consciences are not bound from the use of any. Thirdly, though the faithful have not, in the right of their inheritance, any monopoly or engrossment of the creatures to themselves, yet still they have, and shall have, the service of them all. That is thus: if it were possible for any member of Christ to stand absolutely in need of the use and service of the whole creation, all the creatures in the world should surely wait upon him, and be appropriated unto him. The moon should stand still; the sun go back; the lions should stop their mouths; the fire should give over burning; the ravens should bring him meat; the Heavens should rain down bread; the rocks should gush out with water; all the creatures should muster up themselves to defend the body of Christ. But though no such absolute necessity shall ever be, yet ordinarily we must learn to believe, that those things which God allows us, are best suitable to our particular estate, God knowing us better than we do ourselves: that as less would haply make us repine, so more would make us full, and lift up our hearts against God, and set them on the world; so that all is ours, not absolutely, but subordinately, serviceably, according to the 1 Cor. iii. 21. 23. viii. 9. e Aug. Epist. 89. [vol. ii. p. 422. D. 10.] f 2 Cor. L exigence of our condition, to the proportion of our faith, and furtherance of our salvation. Sect. 19. The third particular inquired into, was, how we do, by prayer, sanctify the creature to ourselves? This is done in these three courses: 1. In procuring them. We ought not to set about any of our lawful and our just callings, without a particular addressing ourselves unto God in prayer. This was the practice of good Eleazar, Abraham's servant, when he was employed in finding out a wife for his master's son', "O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee send me good speed this day :" and this also was the practice of good Nehemiah in the distresses of his people," I prayed unto the God of Heaven, and then I spake unto the King." And surely the very heathens themselves shall, in this point, rise up in judgment against many profane Christians, 'who look oftener upon their gold, than upon their God,' as Salvian speaks. We read often in their writings, that, in any general calamity, they did jointly1 implore the peace and favour of their idolatrous gods; that in any" matter of consequence, they made their entry upon it by prayer, commending the success thereof to the power and providence of those deities which they believed. Insomuch that we read of a Pub. Scipio, a great Roman, that he ever went to the Capitol before to the senate, and began all the businesses of the Commonwealth with prayer. How much more then ought we to do it, who have not only the law and dictate of nature to guide us, who have not deaf and impotent idols to direct our prayers to, as their gods were; but have, first, the law of Christ requiring it; Pray always, pray without ceasing. In every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." Who have, secondly, the example of Christ to enforce it; for not only morning and evening i Gen. xxiv. 12. k Nehemiah ii. 4. 1 A morbis grassantibus, vel prodigiis nunciatis, pacem Deûm exposci moris erat: vide Brisson. de Form. 1. i. pag. 81. edit. 1592. m Plin. Panegyr.; Bene ac sapienter majores instituerunt, ut rerum agendarum, ita dicendi, initium à precationibus capere, &c.—Sueton. in Aug. cap. 35. Vide Brisso. de Form. lib. i. page 42; et Coquæi commentaria in Aug. de Civit. Dei, lib. ii. cap. 8. num. 2. n Livius, 1. 26.-A. Gell. Noct. Attic. 1. vii. c. 1.-Cujus ab adolescentia vita describitur Diis dedita templisque nutrita: Aug. de Civit. Dei, 1. 3. cap. 21. • Eph. vi. 18. 1 Thess. v. 17. Phil. iv. 6. r was it his custom to pray, but upon every other solemn occasion: as for example, before his preaching, before his1 eating, before the " election of his disciples, before his w transfiguration in the Mount*, before and in his Passion. Who have, thirdly, from Christ that "legitimate, ordinary, fundamental prayer," as Tertullian calls it, the Lord's Prayer, as a rule and directory by him framed, to instruct us how to pray, and to bound and confine our extravagant and vast desires. Who, lastly, have also the altar of Christ to receive, the incense of Christ to perfume, the name and intercession of Christ, to present our prayers unto God by; who have Christ sanctifying, and, as I may so speak, praying our prayers unto his Father for us; as we read of the Angel of the Covenant, who had a golden censer, and much incense,' to offer up the prayers of the saints, which was nothing else but the mediation of Christ, bearing the 'iniquity of our holy things,' as Aaron was appointed to do; nothing but his intercession for us at the right hand of his Father. I say, how much more reason have we, than any gentile could have, to consecrate all our enterprises with prayer unto God? humbly to acknowledge how justly he might blast all our businesses, and make us labour in the fire; that unless he keep the city, the watchman watcheth but in vain; that unless he build the house, their labour is in vain that build it; that unless he give the increase, the planting of Paul, and the watering of Apollos are but empty breath; that it is only his blessing on the diligent hand which maketh rich without any sorrow; that unless he be pleased to favour our attempts, neither the plotting our heads, nor the solicitousness of our hearts, nor the drudgery of our hands, nor the whole concurrence of our created strength, nor any other assistances which we can procure, will be able to bring to pass the otherwise most obvious, and feasible events: and therefore to implore his direction in all our counsels, his concurrence with all our actions, his blessing on all our undertakings, to aim at his glory, as the sole end of all that we are to do. For by this means we do first acknowledge our dependency on God as the first cause, and give him the glory of his sovereign power and dominion over all second agents, in acknowledging that Luke xxii. 39. w Luke ix. 28. t Mark vi. 41. Mark i. 35, 38. u Luke vi. 12, 13. y Heb. v. 7. Tertul. de Orat. c. 9. Rev. viii. 3, 4. Exod. xxviii. 38. Rom. viii. 24. without him we can do nothing; and the power of God is the ground of prayer. Secondly, by this means we put God in mind of his promises, and so acknowledge not our dependance on his power only, but on his truth and goodness too; and the promises and truth of God are the foundation of all our prayers. That which encouraged Daniel to set his face to seek unto God in prayer for the restitution of liberty out of Babylon, was God's promise and truth revealed by Jeremy the prophet, that he would accomplish but seventy years in the desolation of Jerusalem. That which encouraged Jehoshaphat to seek unto God against the multitude of Moabites which came up against him, was his promise, that he would hear and help those that did pray towards his house in their affliction. That which encouraged David to pray unto God for the stability of his house, was the covenant and truth of God, "Thou hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house; therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee. And now, O Lord, thou art that God," that is, the same God in thy fidelity and mercy, as then thou wert; " and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness to thy servant; therefore let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant," &c. Excellent to this purpose is that which St. Austin observes of his mother, who very often and earnestly prayed unto God for her son, when he was an heretic; "Chirographa tua ingerebat tibi," "Lord, (saith he) she urged thee with thine own hand-writing;" she challenged, in an humble and fearful confidence, the performance of thine own obligations. Thirdly and lastly, by this means we hasten the performance of God's decreed mercies; we retardate, yea, quite hinder his almost purposed and decreed judgments. The Lord had resolved to restore Israel to their wonted peace and honour; "Yet for all these things will I be inquired unto by the house of Israel to do it for them," saith he in the prophet. The Lord had threatened destruction against Israel for their idolatry, "Had not Moses stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath," as the Psalmist speaks. And we read of the primitive Christians, that their prayers procured a 2 Chron. xx. 6. 2nd xiv. 11. ix. 1, 2, 3. d 2 Chron. xx. 9. 1.5. c. 9. 8 Ezek. xxxvi. 37. Matt. viii. 2. b Isaiah xliii. 26. e Daniel e 2 Sam. vii. 27, 28, 29. f Aug. Confess. b Psal. cvi. rain from Heaven, when the armies of the Emperors were even famished for want of water, and that their very persecutors have begged their prayers i. k Sect. 20.-Secondly, As by prayer the creature is sanctified in the procurement (for no man hath reason to believe that there is any blessing intended unto him by God, in any of the good things, which do not come in unto him by prayer) so in the next place, the creature is by prayer sanctified in the fruition thereof; because, to enjoy the portion allotted us, and to rejoice in our labour, is the gift of God, as Solomon speaks. The creature of itself is not only dead, and therefore unable to minister life by itself alone; but, which is worse, by the means of man's sin, it is deadly too, and therefore apt to poison the receivers of it, without the corrective of God's grace. Pleasure is a thing in itself lawful; but corruption of nature is apt to make a man a lover of pleasure, more than a lover of God'; and then is that man's pleasure made unto him the metropolis of mischief,' as Clemens Alexandrinus speaks. "A good name is better than sweet ointment, and more to be desired than much riches" but corruption is apt to put a fly" of vain glory, and self-affectation into this ointment; to make a man foolishly feed upon his own credit; and with the Pharisees, to do all for applause, and prefer the praise of men before the glory of God; and then our sweet ointment is degenerated into a curse; "Woe be unto you, when all men shall speak well of you P." Riches of themselves are the good gifts and blessing of God; as Solomon saith, "The blessing of the Lord maketh rich;" but corruption is apt to breed by this means covetousness, pride, self-dependency, forgetfulness of God, scorn of the gospel, and the like; and then these earthly blessings are turned into the curse of the earth, into thorns and briars, as the apostle speaks, "They that will be rich, pierce themselves through with many sorrows." Learning in itself is an honourable and a noble endowment. It is recorded for the glory of Moses', that he was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians: but corruption is apt to turn learning into leaven, to infect the heart with pride, which being armed iJust. Mart. Apolog.-Tertul. Apolog. c. 5. k Eccles. v. 19. 12 Tim. iii. 4. m Prov. xxii. 1. P Luke vi. 26. n Eccles. vii. 1. 91 Tim. vi. 10. o Matt. xxiii. 5. John v. 44. and xii. 43. r Acts vii. 22. |