The saints inheritance and the worldlings portion representing the glorious condition of a child…

and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. These followed upon the prayers of the Saints. It signified the time wherein all should come in remembrance before the Lord, as if an Angel were offering, yea, Christ the Angel of the Covenant, hath a time to take the prayers presented long ago, and to offer them to God with his own incense. They are all recorded in heaven, therefore they are not in vain. When a petition is taken and put upon record, the petitioner petitioneth not in vain, his petition is not thrown out. God doth take all the petitions of the Saints and recordeth them; they are all filed up in heaven.

Yet further, there is no faithful petition but God puts his fiat to the bottom of it, at the instant that it is put up to him. There is a decree in heaven issued out for mercy, at the very instant that the petition is put up, God dealeth not with us in this kind, as ⟨p. 213⟩men do who are counted very gracious, if they please to tell us they will consider of our petition: no; but your petition is presently granted. A petitioner when there is time taken to consider of his petition, trembles and shakes for fear it should not be granted: but the petitions of the Saints of God are granted presently. When Daniel had been seeking God at the evening sacrifice, an Angel comes to him, and tells him, that at the beginning of his prayer there was a decree to grant it, and that he was sent to him at the beginning of his prayer, Dan. 9.23. & Psa. 56.9. When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know, for God is for me. Did not David cry oft, and yet his enemies did not turn their backs when he cried? He cried oft when his enemies prevailed: yet he saith, When I cried then mine enemies turned back: and this I know, why? for God is for me. The meaning must be this, that at that instant that he cried, there was a decree in heaven; the thing was done. He ⟨p. 214⟩