The Return of Prayers

Having premised these Cases, I come now to more general and common directions to help you in discerning and observing the mind of God, and his answers to you in your prayers. All which directions ⟨p. 86⟩are such, as may be helpful in all the forementioned cases, and in all sorts of prayers whatever. And they are taken from observations, to be made upon your prayers, &c. Both before, in, and after praying;

HAving premised these Cases, I come now to more generall and common directions to help you in discerning and observing the minde of God, and his answers to you in your prayers. All which directions ⟨p. 86⟩are such, as may be helpfull in all the forementioned cases, and in all sorts of prayers whatever. And they are taken from observations, to bee made upon your prayers, &c. Both before, in, and after praying;

¹First, Before praying; when God bespeaks a prayer, (as I may so speak) that is, when God secretly speaks to the heart to pray much about a thing; I express it thus according to that phrase of David, Psal. 27. 8. Thou saidst seek my face: and I said, Thy face Lord will I seek: now God then speaks to the heart to pray, when not only he puts upon ⟨p. 87⟩the duty by saying to the conscience, this thou oughtest to do: but Gods speaking to pray is such, as his speech at first was, when he made the world, when he said, Let there be light, and there was light: so he says, Let there be a prayer, and there is a prayer, that is, he pours upon a man a spirit of grace and supplication, a praying disposition; he puts in motives, suggests arguments and pleas to God; all which you shall find come in readily, and of themselves; and that likewise with a quickening heat, and enlargement of affections, and with a lingering, and longing,