Prayer Opens Doors

Thomas Cobbett, Gospel Incense: Or, A Practical Treatise on Prayer, pp. 12-13:

Wisdom's out-doors, even the ordinances, are opened by prayer. Outlawed Gentiles fare the better for that prayer: "Let thy way be known among the people, thy saving health among all the nations." "Pray the Lord of the harvest, that he would thrust out laborers into his harvest." Prayer helps people to a fruitful ministry, prayer helps to open the minister's mouth, opens a door of utterance, Col. 4:3. Pray that God would open my mouth. Prayer opens a door of faith, 1 Cor. 16:8, 9. The "mystery of salvation may be made known" by it, Eph. 6:19. The word may come to have an open and effectual passage into people's hearts by it. Hence that request, "Pray that the word may have a free course and be glorified," etc. The door of liberty, the church's liberties, may be opened to the prayer of the saints, as to Paul, upon his prayer, Acts xi. Those strong and secret doors of death may be opened by prayer. Hence the prophet's raising of the dead child by prayer. So Jonah by prayer had the belly of hell, the whales belly and jaws, opened to him, to let him out. By prayer the doors of the womb are opened, as in Hannah's case, and Rebecca's, and Elizabeth's. By prayer the doors of heaven are opened: "If I shut heaven, and my people pray," etc. "I will hear," etc. By prayer the "prison doors are opened," as to Peter, upon the church's prayer, Acts 12:5, 10. Secrets which otherwise are not to be opened, yet are to be unfolded by prayer, Dan. 2:18, 19. Then was the secret revealed, upon prayer for the mercies of heaven that way. As in other knocking there is a hand, there are fingers which make a noise and help open the door; so here there is a hand of faith which knocks, and that will open that large gate and door of mercy, and any of the lesser wickets depending: "O woman, great is thy faith, be it unto thee even as thou wilt." Come into all my treasures of grace, and take even what thou desirest. Godly desires knock and make a noise in God's ears, and he opens to them: "He heareth the desire of the humble." They will come in where the Lord is: "Lord, all my desire is before thee." The saint's sighs make a noise at heaven's gates, and God comes forth to them: "For the sighing of the prisoners, I will arise, saith the Lord." "Let the sighing of the prisoners come before thee;" room for the sighing of the prisoners, Lord; yea, their very tears too make a loud noise at this door, and they have their voice also in prayer: "Thou hast heard the voice of my weeping." No wonder, then, that effectual prayer consisting of all these, be indeed a knocking, and means of opening  of the gate and door of mercy in Jesus Christ.

EEBO Editions in Print

Since late last year, EEBO (Early English Books Online) has partnered with BiblioLife to produce hardcopy (paperback) print editions of its material. At present, at least 3,000 different works are now available through Amazon under the brand name Proquest EEBO Print Editions. Researchers and lovers of 17th-century Puritan works have long known that EEBO was a goldmine for great literature published in England from 1475-1700. Now, in facsimile paperback form, EEBO Editions are becoming widely available at Amazon. Back in December 2010, I published a reading list for Christians. Many of those works were available -- either exclusively, or primarily -- through EEBO in PDF form, but now, in such a short time, so many of them are available in paperback. Some notable examples from my reading list, with a few others included, are:

• Richard Rogers, Seven Treatises;
• Richard Rogers, et al., A Garden of Spiritual Flowers;
  
• Anthony Burgess, Vindiciae Legis: or, A Vindication of the Moral Law and the Covenants, from the Errors of Papists, Arminians, Socinians, and more especially, Antinomians;
• David Dickson, Therapeutica Sacra;
  
• William Gouge, A Guide to Go to God: or, An Explanation of the Perfect Pattern of Prayer;
• Samuel Smith, Davids repentance, or, A plaine and familiar exposition of the 51. Psalme first preached, and now published for the benefit of Gods church;
• William Ames, Conscience With the Power and Cases Thereof;
• Nicholas Byfield, The Rules of a Holy Life;
• William Attersoll, A Commentary on the Epistle of St. Paul to Philemon;
• Westminster Assembly, The Grand Debate;
• William Perkins, An exposition of the Lords prayer in the vvay of catechising seruing for ignorant people. Hereunto are adioined the praiers of Paule, taken out of his epistles and An exposition of the symbole or creede of the apostles according to the tenour of the scriptures, and the consent of the orthodoxe fathers of the church and Christian oeconomie, or, A short survey of the right manner of erecting and ordering a familie according to the Scriptures;
• Samuel Clarke, Annotations on the New Testament;
• John Dod & Robert Cleaver, A Plain and Familiar Exposition of the Ten Commandments;
• Thomas Doolittle, A Plain Method of Catechizing;
• Thomas Lye, A plain and familiar method of instructing the younger sort According to the lesser catechism of the late reverend Assembly of Divines;
• Thomas Gataker, The Spiritual Watch and Marriage Duties;
• Arthur Jackson, Annotations on Isaiah;
• Theodore Beza, Commentary on Job and Sermons on Song of Songs 1-3;
  
• Thomas Cobbet, A Practical Discourse of Prayer and A just vindication of the covenant and church-estate of children of church-members as also of their right unto bastisme;
• Smectymnuus (Stephen Marshall, Edmund Calamy, Thomas Young, Matthew Newcomen, and William Spurstowe), Smectymnuus redivivus Being an answer to a book, intituled An humble remonstrance in which the original of liturgy Episcopacy is discussed and queries propounded concerning both; and more.
  

It is also worth noting that some interesting works are presently available at Amazon's Canadian site, but not on the U.S. site, such as:

• Edward Leigh, Annotations on Five Poetical Books of the Old Testament (Viz.) Job, Psalmes, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Canticles.

I encourage interested readers to explore the goldmine that has recently become accessible in print. The works listed here are only the tip of the iceberg. Tolle lege!

In All Godliness and Honesty

I exhort therefore that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men: for kings, and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet, and a peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty. (1 Tim. 2.1-2)

How is that we are to pray for our civil magistrates? That we may live a quiet and peaceable life? Yes, but "in all godliness and honesty." How did older Puritan and Reformed divines understand this guidance for how we are to pray? The Westminster Divines understood this verse to support the proposition inferred from the second petition of the Lord's Prayer -- "thy kingdom come" -- that the Lord teaches us to pray that "the church [may be] furnished with all gospel officers and ordinances [and...] countenanced and maintained by the civil magistrate" (Westminster Larger Catechism Q. 192). So far from this verse supporting the modern doctrine of "separation of church and state" (understood to imply that the state must be divorced from any support of piety), this verse in fact, according to the Reformed historically, teaches that our prayers ought to be that magistrates would promote piety towards the end that we might live piously, quietly and peaceably.

John Calvin writes on this passage:

That we may lead a peaceful and quiet life By exhibiting the advantage, he holds out an additional inducement, for he enumerates the fruits which are yielded to us by a well regulated government. The first is a peaceful life; for magistrates are armed with the sword, in order to keep us in peace. If they did not restrain the hardihood of wicked men, every place would be full of robberies and murders. The true way of maintaining peace, therefore, is, when every one obtains what is his own, and the violence of the more powerful is kept under restraint.

With all godliness and decency The second fruit is the preservation of godliness, that is, when magistrates give themselves to promote religion, to maintain the worship of God, and to take care that sacred ordinances be observed with due reverence. The third fruit is the care of public decency; for it is also the business of magistrates to prevent men from abandoning themselves to brutal filthiness or flagitious conduct, but, on the contrary, to promote decency and moderation. If these three things are taken away, what will be the condition of human life? If, therefore, we are at all moved by solicitude about the peace of society, or godliness, or decency, let us remember that we ought also to be solicitous about those through whose agency we obtain such distinguished benefits.

Hence we conclude, that fanatics, who wish to have magistrates taken away, are destitute of all humanity, and breathe nothing but cruel barbarism. How different is it to say, that we ought to pray for kings, in order that justice and decency may prevail, and to say, that not only the name of kingly power, but all government, is opposed to religion! We have the Spirit of God for the Author of the former sentiment, and therefore the latter must be from the Devil.

If any one ask, Ought we to pray for kings, from whom we obtain none of these advantages? I answer, the object of our prayer is, that, guided by the Spirit of God, they may begin to impart to us those benefits of which they formerly deprived us. It is our duty, therefore, not only to pray for those who are already worthy, but we must pray to God that he may make bad men good. We must always hold by this principle, that magistrates were appointed by God for the protection of religion, as well as of the peace and decency of society, in exactly the same manner that the earth is appointed to produce food. Accordingly, in like manner as, when we pray to God for our daily bread, we ask him to make the earth fertile by his blessing; so in those benefits of which we have already spoken, we ought to consider the ordinary means which he has appointed by his providence for bestowing them.

To this must be added, that, if we are deprived of those benefits the communication of which Paul assigns to magistrates, that is through our own fault. It is the wrath of God that renders magistrates useless to us, in the same manner that it renders the earth barren; and, therefore, we ought to pray for the removal of those chastisements which have been brought upon us by our sins.

On the other hand, princes, and all who hold the office of magistracy, are here reminded of their duty. It is not enough, if, by giving to every one what is due, they restrain all acts of violence, and maintain peace; but they must likewise endeavor to promote religion, and to regulate morals by wholesome discipline. The exhortation of David (Psalm 2:12) to “kiss the Son,” and the prophecy of Isaiah, that they shall be nursing — fathers of the Church, (Isaiah 49:23) are not without meaning; and, therefore, they have no right to flatter themselves, if they neglect to lend their assistance to maintain the worship of God.

Thomas Cobbett, The Civil Magistrate's Power, pp. 35-36, writes likewise:

...civil rulers by their office and place, now in the days of the New Testament, are to look to matters pertaining to godliness; whether doctrinal, or practical, so far as acted by the outward man, and appearing in outward view in their life or the like, as well as they are in the like way, to look to the matters of honesty. As he that is taught to pray that he may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness, and honesty, prayeth that he may lead a life in all godliness and honesty (without which to pray for peace and quiet in any other life, or to pray to be let alone unmolested, in any ungodly or dishonest way of his life, even but to ask leave and liberty to sin). So he that prayeth to the Lord, for all that are in highest civil authority, as for kings or the like; for this end, that he may live in all godliness and honesty, quietly, and peaceably, he prayeth to God, to cause the persons in such civil authority, to further by their civil authority such an end, to which under God they are an external means, and surely then he prayeth, that persons in civil authority may in such sort attend and look to matters as well of piety, as of honesty, appearing in any acts or ways of their subjects' lives; as that their subjects may in such godly and honest acts and ways of their life and in no other enjoy peace and quiet.