Riches of mercy to men in misery, or, Certain excellent treatises concerning the dignity…

Again Secondly, it may be objected, many obtain ¹mercies, and blessings at Gods hands without prayer, therefore it seems that prayer is not so great a means to obtain mercies; because they are ours sometimes without prayer.

Again Secondly, it may be objected, many obtain ¹mercies, and blessings at Gods hands without prayer, therefore it seemes that prayer is not so great a means to obtain mercies; because they are ours sometimes without prayer.

1. 1Object.

I answer it is true, men may have, and have usually ¹many great mercies bestowed upon them without prayer, but there is a great deal of difference: because that mercy which is obtained by prayer, it comes with a blessing and it comes by virtue of the promise that the Lord hath made. And it is one thing to receive the same mercy in a way of blessing, and another thing to receive it i•n ordinary course. The same comfort may come to one man with a blessing, and may be conveyed to another man with a curse. There is a two-fold way of Gods bestowing of mercies. One is when he conveys them to a man by virtue of a promise. Another ⟨p. 400⟩is when he bestows them by a common providence. When God dispenseth mercies by a common providence, thou must not think thy self to be such a gainer in the receiving of such a mercy when thou hast not sought the Lord for it: it may be thou hast more cause to judge thy self better in the want of that mercy. Ahab had been better to have wanted a vineyard. Jeroboam had better to have wanted the Kingdom. Gehazi had better to have wanted Naamans courtesy; there goes a curse with those things that we have in that manner, when we have them without prayer, or when we have them by a common providence, when we receive them in the neglect of this duty; and yet in the mean time we may have as much as others. And though this be that which men are ready to object, yet this is the way to forfeit all that they have.