God's anger

Now for the Answer that takes off this admiration; and satisfies us with some reasons, why God may be angry with his people that prayeth. God is never angry at his people without a cause: and it must be a great cause that makes him angry with them in their devotions: whereof we have three considerations.

Now for the Answer that takes off this admiration; and satisfies us with some reasons, why God may bee angry with his people that prayeth. God is never angry at his people without a cause: and it must be a great cause that makes him angry with them in their devotions: whereof wee have three considerations.

1. There may be infirmities enough in our very Prayers, to make them unacceptable. As if they be, 1. Exanimes, without life and soul: when the heart knows not what the tongue utters. 2. Or Perfunctory; for God will none of those prayers, that come out of feigned lips. 3. Or Tentativae; for they that will petere tentando, tempt God in prayer, shall go without. 4. Or fluctuantes, of a wild and ⟨p. 30⟩wandering discourse, ranging up and down; which the Apostle calls, beating the air: as huntsmen beat the bushes, or Saul sought his fathers asses. Such prayers will not stumble upon the Kingdom of Heaven. 5. Or if they be Praeproperae, run over in hast: as some use to chop up their prayers, and think long till they have done. But they that pray in such hast, shall be heard at leisure. 6. Or sine fiducia: the faithless man had as good hold his peace, as pray. He may babble, but prays not: he prays ineffectually, and receives not. He may lift up his hands, but he does not lift up his heart. Only the prayer of the righteous availeth, and only the believer is righteous. But the formal devotion of a faithless man, is not worth that crust of bread which he asks. 7. Or sine humilitate: so the Pharisees prayer was not properly Supplicatio, but superlatio. A presumptuous Prayer profanes the Name of God, in stead of Adoring it. All, or any of these defects may mar the success of our Prayers.