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were, overcomes God. Now, praj'er is the flame of faith, the vent* of faith ; and fiiith is a victorious, triumphant grace with God himself. If it be any, it is Christians that can prevail with God for a blessing upon a state. Then certainly there is no good Christian but is of excellent service in the state. Though in particular perhaps he hath not policy, and wisdom, and government, yet he hath God's ear to hear him, and he can pray to God that God would make the king and other subordinate magistrates favourable.
You see what great good a good man may do in a state. * The innocent man delivers the land,' as it is in Job xxii. 30. And the ' poor wise man delivers the city,' as it is in Eccles. ix. 15. A few holy, gracious men, that have grace and credit in heaven above, they may move God to set all things in a blessed frame below. And surely if this holy means were used, things would be better than they are ; and till this be used, we can never look for the good success and issue of things that otherwise we may hope for.
Divers things might be spoken of the doctrinal part. I will give you but a word of it. That God hath our hearts in his government, more than ue ourselves. I speak it to inform our judgment in a point of doctrine, whether God foresee and determine of things below upon foresight, which way they shall go ; or whether he foreordain that they shall go this way, because he directs them thus : that is to make God, God indeed. He determines that these things shall be, because he determines, in the series and order of causes, to bring things to pass, and to guide kings, and princes, and magistrates, and all, this way. Again, whether God hath set all men at hberty, in matters of grace especially, that they may apply grace at their liberty, which way they will ; and in foresight, which way they will apply their liberty, to determine thus or thus of them. This is to make every man's will a god, and to divest God of his honour, as if God could foresee the inclination of the creature, without foresight that he meant to incline it this way or that way.
Can God foresee any entity, any thing that hath a being in nature or grace, without foresight to direct it this way or that way ? He cannot. This is to make him no God. We see God hath the hearts of kings in his power, and that is the ground of prayer for grace to them. Why should we pray for them, if they could apply their own will which way they would ? Why should we give thanks for that we have liberty to do this way or that way ? It stops devotion, and petition, and thanksgiving, to say that the creature hath liberty to apply itself, and God, seeing it would apply itself thus, determined so. Oh no. We must go to God. He hath set down an order and course of means ; and in the use of those means, desire him to guide us by his good Spirit, to enlighten our understandings, to guide our wills and aftections by his Holy Spirit, because our hearts are in his government more than our own. If it were needful to prove it, I could prove it at large. If there had been such a liberty, good Nehemiah would never have made this prayer. But God doth strangely put thoughts and guide all, even of himself, as we may see excellently in the story of Esther. I will give you but that example and instance. What a strange thing was it that Ahasuerus could not sleep ; and when he could not sleep, to call for the book, and then that he should read of Mordecai, and thereupon to advance Mordecai. All this tended to the good of the church : it was a strange thing. And so in other things. It is a strange thing that God should put little thovgbts and desires into great persons, and then follow * That is, ' outlet,' = utterance. — G,
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it with this circumstance and that ; and so bring things to pass. All this is from God. Except we hold this, that God rules all without, and espe- cially the hearts of men, where it is his especial prerogative to set up his throne, we shall never pray heartily or give thanks. And if we do pray and give thanks, he will put thoughts into governors' minds, strange thoughts and resolutions for the good of the church, that we could never have thought of, nor could come otherwise, but from the great God of heaven and earth. We shall see a strange providence concur to the good of all. But I must leave the enlargement of these things to your own thoughts and meditations.*
* Here is added, ' Imprimatur. Thomas Wykos. August 24. 1639.' — G.
NOTES.
(a) P. 96. — ' Let a child but cry to the father or mother, there is relief presently for the very cry.' Tennyson has finely put this : —