But the principal part of my answer is this God hath no where promised to reveal all his truth to you, because you desire him so to do. It is not every prayer of yours, which he hath promised to hear and grant; but only those which are agreeable to his will: His will is either his Decree, ⟨p. 157⟩his Command, or his Promise. Though the first be not it that is meant in the text, yet it is certain that your prayers cannot change Gods decrees. The will of his command doth more concern the sense of the text; but it is only a negative which may hence be gathered; that is, that if your prayers be contrary to Gods commands, they are your sins and have no promise of his grant. But it will not follow that God will grant all the prayers which are put up in obedience to his laws: But only that you shall be no losers by such obedience; but he will give you that, or something which shall be as good for you. It may be Gods command that godly children should pray for the lives of their sick parents; and that parents pray for the conversion of their ungodly children, and that we pray for all men: And yet it doth not follow that we shall have the very thing which we obediently pray for. But it is his Promising will which is the measure of our hope, as his Commanding will is the rule of our obedience. Whatsoever he hath promised, he will certainly give us. Now God hath no where promised in his word, that he will reveal the true meaning of every text of scripture, to every godly person that asketh it. Praying is but one of the means which God hath appointed you to come to knowledge. Diligent reading, hearing, and meditation, and counsel of the wisest is another means. Even to dig for it as for silver, and to search for it, as for hidden treasure, and to continue so doing, and wait at the posts of wisdoms doors, that knowledge may come into you by degrees in time. God hath not promised you ⟨p. 158⟩true understanding, upon your prayers alone, without all the rest of his appointed means: Nor that you shall attain it by those means, as soon as you desire and seek it; For then prayer would be a notable pretence for laziness, and they that would not be at the labour, of study, meditation, or conference, might save all their pains, and go to God and ask wisdom of him and he would give it them. Even as idle beggars think without working, to get an alms to maintain them in their slothfulness.
But the principal part of my answer is this God hath no where promised to reveal all his truth to you, because you desire him so to do. It is not every prayer of yours, which he hath promised to hear and grant; but only those which are agreeable to his will: His will is either his Decree, ⟨p. 157⟩his Command, or his Promise. Though the first be not it that is meant in the text, yet it is certain that your prayers cannot change Gods decrees. The will of his command doth more concern the sense of the text; but it is only a negative which may hence be gathered; that is, that if your prayers be contrary to Gods commands, they are your sins and have no promise of his grant. But it will not follow that God will grant all the prayers which are put up in obedience to his laws: But only that you shall be no loosers by such obedience; but he will give you that, or something which shall be as good for you. It may be Gods command that godly children should pray for the lives of their sick parents; and that parents pray for the conversion of their ungodly children, and that we pray for all men: And yet it doth not follow that we shall have the very thing which we obediently pray for. But it is his Promising will which is the measure of our hope, as his Commanding will is the rule of our obedience. Whatsoever he hath promised, he will certainly give us. Now God hath no where promised in his word, that he will reveal the true meaning of every text of scripture, to every godly person that asketh it. Praying is but one of the means which God hath appointed you to come to knowledge. Diligent reading, hearing, and meditation, and counsel of the wisest is another means. Even to dig for it as for silver, and to search for it, as for hidden treasure, and to continue so doing, and wait at the posts of wisdoms doors, that knowledge may come into you by degrees in time. God hath not promised you ⟨p. 158⟩true understanding, upon your prayers alone, without all the rest of his appointed means: Nor that you shall attain it by those means, as soon as you desire and seek it; For then prayer would be a notable pretense for laziness, and they that would not be at the labour, of study, meditation, or conference, might save all their pains, and go to God and ask wisdome of him and he would give it them. Even as idle beggars think without working, to get an alms to maintain them in their slothfulness.
