The Return of Prayers

And thus usually, when he will have any great matters done & effected, he sets mens hearts a work to pray, by a kind of gracious pre-instinct; he stirs them up and toucheth the strings of their hearts, by his Spirit sent down upon them: Thus against the return of the captivity he stirred up Daniels heart, Dan. 9. 1. He knowing by books, the time to be near expiring was stirred up to seek God: ¹and so he that made this Psalm, Salvation being ⟨p. 92⟩then nigh, ver. 9. 10. then God stirred him up to pray, and pen this prayer for their return: which God had foretold he would do, Jer. 29. 10, 11, 12. For having promised ver. 10. I will cause you to return after seventy years: Then (says he, ver. 12.) shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you: he speaks it not only by way of command, what it was they ought to do; but as prophesying also what they should do; for then he meant to stir up their hearts; as then he did, as appears by those forementioned instances. Therefore observe what ⟨p. 93⟩things, God, thus by an instinct doth enlarge thy heart to pray for at times, and sometimes at extraordinary by-times, when haply thou diddest not think to pray about any such thing, yet he then stirred thee up most, it may be, as thou wert walking, &c. and having spare time, he draws thee into his presence and moves thee in that manner specified.

And thus usually, when hee will have any great matters done & effected, hee sets mens hearts a worke to pray, by a kinde of gracious pre-instinct; hee stirres them up and toucheth the strings of their hearts, by his Spirit sent downe upon them: Thus against the returne of the captivity he stirred up Daniels heart, Dan. 9. 1. Hee knowing by bookes, the time to be neere expiring was stirred up to seek God: ¹and so hee that made this Psalme, Salvation being