A69028:1776
The rule of faith, or, An exposition of the Apostles Creed so handled as…
The rule of faith, or, An exposition of the Apostles Creed so handled as it affordeth both milk for babes, and strong meat for such as are at full age / by ... Nicholas Bifield ; ... now published ... by his son, Adoniram Bifield.The rule of faith, or, An exposition of the Apostles Creed so handled as it affordeth both milke for babes, and strong meat for such as are at full age / by ... Nicholas Bifield ; ... now published ... by his sonne, Adoniram Bifield.
London: printed by G.M. for Philemon Stephens and Christopher Meredith, 1626
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Thus of the fourth point in his prayer.
The fifth point, is the issue and event of his prayer, and that is reported partly by the Evangelist, and partly by the Apostle to the Hebrews. The Evangelist saith that an Angel came from heaven and comforted him in his Agony, Luk. 22. 43. which may teach us to know, that when God will not presently deliver us from the cross, yet he is able to comfort us under the cross: and if ordinary means fail, he can supply with extraordinary: If men on earth will not pity us, he can send his Angels from heaven to relieve us. The Apostle to the Hebrews further tells us, even that this prayer was heard of God as he reports, Heb. 5. 7. Now from hence ariseth another great scruple, and that is how it can be said this prayer was heard, seeing he was not delivered, ⟨p. 346⟩but did suffer death. I answer, if you understand his prayer only of the speedy taking off of Gods hand, then there is no difficulty or doubt: and if it be understood of death, we must fly to a distinction, which is thus: God heareth prayer two ways, the one when he directly grants what we expressly ask, the other when he gives us so much of our suit as is good for us, and what he denies, recompenseth in some other thing which is answerable thereunto, and more profitable for us. So he dealt with Christ here, though he did not free him from death, yet he did free him from the hurt of death, so as he was able to bear it, and was delivered from it in due time, which was all that which the nature of Christ in distress in effect sought, viz. the preservation of it self: and this may be very useful for us to observe: God may seem to deny us many things, which yet he grants, and our weakest prayers may get us some blessing, though we feel it not for the present: and if God change with us, and give us that which is better for us than that which we ask, he doth us no wrong. In hearing prayer God considers not so much the pleasing of our wills, as the furthering of our Salvation. And therefore we must take heed we grow not froward, or discouraged, and judge that God heareth us not, because he lets us pray often, and yet according to the letter of our prayer we see not that we are heard: