To this I answer, It is true, when we seek to the Lord by prayer, he is not changed by any of our petitions that 1we make to him; but the change is wrought upon us; because we are made more fit to receive mercy from him then before we were. 2As for example, When a patient desires his Physician, to give him a cordial, to give him some restoring physic, something that is pleasant to him; The Physician delays, and defers, he will not for the present hearken to his request, at length he doth it. Why is it? not because the Physician is altered, but because there is an alteration in the patient; he is now purged, ⟨p. 399⟩and vomited; his body is cleansed, and so made fit to receive the cordial, therefore the Physician yields to his request: there is some suitableness now between him, and the physic which he requires: there is no alteration in the Physician, but in the patient. So when we seek any thing at Gods hands we do not cause him to alter his mind, but there is a change wrought in us: so that when we think we bring God to us by our prayers, we rather bring our selves to God. That is, when we contend with God in prayer, and use arguments to persuade him, those arguments persuade our selves to repentance, to faith, to more obedience and willingness to serve him, and so our hearts are drawn more near to him; when we think we draw God near to us, in this action we draw our selves near to him, and when our hearts are drawn near to him, when our faith is strengthened by the arguments that we use, then the Lord is moved to do that which before he was not moved to do. Not because he is altered, or any way changed, but because the change is in us, we are more fit to receive the mercy that we beg for then before.
To this I answer, It is true, when we seek to the Lord by prayer, he is not changed by any of our petitions that 1we make to him; but the change is wrought upon us; because we are made more fit to receive mercy from him then before we were. 2As for example, When a patient desires his Physician, to give him a cordial, to give him some restoring physick, something that is pleasant to him; The Physician delayes, and defers, he will not for the present hearken to his request, at length he doth it. Why is it? not because the Physician is altered, but because there is an alteration in the patient; he is now purged, ⟨p. 399⟩and vomitted; his body is cleansed, and so made fit to receive the cordial, therefore the Physician yields to his request: there is some suitablenesse now between him, and the physick which he requires: there is no alteration in the Physician, but in the patient. So when we seek any thing at Gods hands we do not cause him to alter his mind, but there is a change wrought in us: so that when we think we bring God to us by our prayers, we rather bring our selves to God. That is, when we contend with God in prayer, and use arguments to perswade him, those arguments perswade our selves to repentance, to faith, to more obedience and willingnesse to serve him, and so our hearts are drawn more near to him; when we think we draw God near to us, in this action we draw our selves near to him, and when our hearts are drawn near to him, when our faith is strengthened by the arguments that we use, then the Lord is moved to do that which before he was not moved to do. Not because he is altered, or any way changed, but because the change is in us, we are more fit to receive the mercy that we beg for then before.
- 1Answ. God is not changed by our prayers but our selves.
- 2Simile.
