Thirdly,1 To pray for outward and worldly Blessings is not contrary to the Will of God, for he hath promised to bestow them: But then as his Promise is conditional, if it may stand with our good, so truly also must our Prayers be conditional, that God would give them to us, if it may stand with his Will and ⟨p. 400⟩with our Good; whatsoever we thus ask we do it according to the Will of God, and we are sure of speeding in our Request, either by the obtaining of our Desires, or by being blessed with a Denial; for, alas, we are blind and ignorant Creatures, and cannot look into the Designs and Drift of Providence, and see how God hath laid in order Good and Evil in his own purpose; oftentimes we mistake Evil for Good, because of the present appearance of Good that it hath; yea, so short-sighted are we, that we can look no farther than outward and present appearance; but God, who sees through the whole Series and Connection of his own Counsels, he knows many times that those Things we account and desire as Good are really evil, and therefore it is our Wisdom to resign up all our Desires to his disposal, and to say, Lord, though such temporal Enjoyments may seem good and desirable to me at present, yet thou art infinitely wise, and thou knowest what the Consequence and Issue of them will be; I beg them if they may stand with thy Will, and if thou seest they will be as really good for me as I suppose them now to be; if they be not so, I beg the Favour of a Denial. ⟨p. 401⟩This is the right Frame that a Christian ought to have upon his Heart when he comes to beg temporal Mercies of God, and whilst he thus asks any worldly Comforts he cannot ask amiss. It was an excellent Saying of the Satirist, We ask those Things of God, says he, that please our present Humours and Desires, but God gives those things that are best and fittest for us; for we are dearer to him, saith the Heathen, than we are to our selves. And, says another very well, it is mercy in God not to hear us when we ask Things that are evil; and when he refuseth us in such Requests, it is that he might not circumvent us in our own Prayers; for indeed whilst we ask rashly and intemperately whatever we foolishly set our Hearts upon, God need take no other course to plague and punish us, than by hearing and answering of us. So much for the matter of our Prayer, it must be for Things that are according to God's Will.
Thirdly,1 To pray for outward and worldly Blessings is not contrary to the Will of God, for he hath promised to bestow them: But then as his Promise is conditional, if it may stand with our good, so truly also must our Prayers be conditional, that God would give them to us, if it may stand with his Will and ⟨p. 400⟩with our Good; whatsoever we thus ask we do it according to the Will of God, and we are sure of speeding in our Request, either by the obtaining of our Desires, or by being blessed with a Denial; for, alas, we are blind and ignorant Creatures, and cannot look into the Designs and Drift of Providence, and see how God hath laid in order Good and Evil in his own purpose; oftentimes we mistake Evil for Good, because of the present appearance of Good that it hath; yea, so short-sighted are we, that we can look no farther than outward and present appearance; but God, who sees through the whole Series and Connexion of his own Counsels, he knows many times that those Things we account and desire as Good are really evil, and therefore it is our Wisdom to resign up all our Desires to his disposal, and to say, Lord, though such temporal Enjoyments may seem good and desirable to me at present, yet thou art infinitely wise, and thou knowest what the Consequence and Issue of them will be; I beg them if they may stand with thy Will, and if thou seest they will be as really good for me as I suppose them now to be; if they be not so, I beg the Favour of a Denial. ⟨p. 401⟩This is the right Frame that a Christian ought to have upon his Heart when he comes to beg temporal Mercies of God, and whilst he thus asks any worldly Comforts he cannot ask amiss. It was an excellent Saying of the Satyrist, We ask those Things of God, says he, that please our present Humours and Desires, but God gives those things that are best and fittest for us; for we are dearer to him, saith the Heathen, than we are to our selves. And, says another very well, it is mercy in God not to hear us when we ask Things that are evil; and when he refuseth us in such Requests, it is that he might not circumvent us in our own Prayers; for indeed whilst we ask rashly and intemperately whatever we foolishly set our Hearts upon, God need take no other course to plague and punish us, than by hearing and answering of us. So much for the matter of our Prayer, it must be for Things that are according to God's Will.
- 13. We may also pray for temporal Blessings conditionally.
