A Practical Difcourfe upon this Prayer

Father, mercifully

3. We humbly beleech thee, to look upon our Jafirmities. ] The former Supplications were principally directed to the Son, but these to the Father; for we have a Heavenly Father, who knows whereof we are made, and difcerns as well what we now fuffer, as what we are able to endure and to whom should the Children fly in their fear and diftrefs, but unto their Father, the very mention of whofe dear Name may revive their drooping Spirits? To him therefore we make our Applications, and that in the moft fervent manner of Addrefs,and the most proper for afflicted Petitioners: for We befeech him, that is,we carnefily entreat him to pity us; yet withal there is humility mixed with this importunity,for we do humbly beseech bim. It was the Character of the famous Antonius, That though he was very vebement, yet withal very modejt(c).And fo we are here taught to be, we must fupplicate vigorously, for our Condition and neceffities require its but yet withal we must beg modeftly, as being confcious of our own Infirmities, and mindful of his glorious Pcrfections, he is most high to whom we pray, we that do pray are low by our Nature, and lower than ordinary at this time by our afflictions, which have done us very little good, if they have not brought our mind as low as our fortune is: To ask proudly is intolerable in any Cafe, but most of all abominable in thofe who are in Diftrefs: we come to beseech him to look upon our Infirmities, and therefore it is but reafonable, we fhould firft look upon them our felves, and confider

(c) Sanè quamvis

et conftans erat eCapitol.

tiam verecundus.Jul.

confider them fo long, till the profpect have taught us humbly to beleech him for Relief. Now it will affift us herein, if we do more diftinctly confider, what our Infirmities are, viz.

J. Natural Infirmities, 2.Moral.3.Providential: The first kind is our Mifery, the fecond our Sin, the third our Punishment, and all thefe may be meant here. I.We befeech our Heavenly Father to look with a merciful eye upon our natural Infirmities, that is upon the weaknefs and frailty of our Mortal state, as the Word fignifies,Heb.iv. 15. We defire he will confider, how foon our ftrenghth is weakened by Sickness, our comfort banished by a flight Calamity, a light Distemper oppreffeth our Body, and threatens our life, a small grievance difcompofeth our Mind, and alas it is but very little, which we can hear: Our life is fhort, our ftrength is fmall, our Refolution and Courage are foon daunted: Wherefore we entreat him in all his Corrections to regard our ability,not our defervings, and St.Paul tells us, That God is faithful, who will not fuffer us to be tempted above that we are able, but will with the Tryal make a way to escape, that we may be able to bear it, 1 Cor.x. 13. This inay be the firft Senfe, or

II. We may befeech him to look with Mercy upon our Mozal Jafirmittes, that is upon thofe Sins, which by the frailty of our Nature we are fo apt to run into: for Sins in Scripture are often cal. led Infirmities (d), efpecially those which are committed through the weakness of the Understanding, or for want of Confideration: Now if God look upon these in Justice, he would be obliged to punish us continually, but if he please to excufe them, and pity our frailty, if he please to pardon and forgive them,then

(d) Ifai. liii. 4. Heb. Infirmitates no firas ipfe portavit, at lxx: quaprias 1-. tem D.Petrus 1. Ep. cap.ii. ver. 14.

We

we may hope he will turn from us all thofe Evils, which we deserve by the daily encrease of them: This may be the fecond Senfe.

Lastly, We may befeech him to look with Compaffion upon out Providential Infirmities, foI call those Afflictions and Miseries, which the Divine Providence hath laid upon us, Sicknefs or pain, oppreffion or poverty, flander or contempt, all which are fometimes ftiled Infirmities alfo, Mat.viii. 17.and 1 Cor.xi.30.When we labour under all,or any of thefe, we are taught to represent our Mifery to our heavenly Father, and to befeech him to caft a propitious Eye upon upon us, who ly languishing under thefe Calamities: We call them by a gentle name Infirmities, that we may not reproach his Providence, but we earneftly beg his pity to fupport us,or deliver us, defiring that either he will take away thefe, or however not fuffer any more to fall upon us. In each of thefe Senses, this Petition is exceeding proper for a finful fuffering Creature to use to a mighty and merciful Father, in order to the obtaining his Pity, pardon and deliverance, by defcribing the frailty of his Nature, which cannot endure much, or hold out long, the kind of his offences, which were not done with a malicious Mind, and the variety or the weight of his prefent grievances, which have brought him already into a deplorable Eftate; doubtless he that effectually urgeth these Confiderations fhall either have his Crofs removed, or elfe made lighter, and himself more able to bear it: This is the firft Petition confidered abfolutely by it felf, but we muft in the next place look upon it with respect to that moft admirable inference, which is deduced from it.

4. And for the glowy of thy Name, turn from us all thofe Evils, which we most righteously have deferbed.]

If we confider our natural frailty it is evident, we can bear but little; if we look upon our finful Obliquities we must confefs,we have deferved to suffer much; if we have regard to our prefent Circumftances, we find that we have work enough to ftruggle with those Evils,' that are upon us already: So that the natural Confequence of this will be, that we shall heartily importune our merciful Father to avert as well these as all other Calamities from us. Afflictions are frequently compared to a flood of waters, Pfalm xviii.16. and lxxiii. 10. But we call to mind,that Almighty God doth order the courses of these waters, he turns them which way he pleaseth, and appoints whither, how long, and to what height they fhall flow, whereupon we pray with Holy David, let not the water-flood drown me, neither let the deep swallow me up, Pfalm lxix.16. We defire the fupreme Difpofer of all Events to turn their Course fome other way, to flop that Current that is fo fiercely broke in upon us now, and to grant that no new eruptions may overwhelm us: It may be we feel fome Evils, but we must confefs we have most jaktly deserved greater, fo that we may fear there are ftill worse behind,only we apply our felves to him to divert them all; and there are two Motives included in this Petitlon. First, because it will tend to the Glory of God's fame, to deliver fuch frail, miferable Creatures from fuch a Deluge of Diftrefs, and all the world will fee the glorie of our Heavenly Father's Goodness therein, we,and all about us, fhall glorifie his Name, who pities the frailty of our Nature, paffeth by the multitude of our Sins,

and