Com.r. Of Prayer andThanksgiving. Chap.] T. 143 from our felves, but from him. Befides, he takes it as a further honour tohim, as an homage we render him, when we thankand glorifie him, either for benefits, er deliverances, and to encourageus to this duty, he adds a Promife. Call upon me ( faith he) in the dayof trouble, and Iwi l deliver thee (but upon what condition? ) and thouJhaleglorifieme. But thiswe may fee fetdown moft excellently, by the Pal-MI f Prophet, where heparticularly exacts the duty from five feveral forts of men in one PfaI,ro7. Pfalm, that are there mentioned, as more efpecially bound to God. a. They that wander in the wildernefs and are harborlefs, and in diftrefs and want, Ver.4, r o;z;; and are relieved. x6,xrgar: 2. They that are at the point of death, and are reftored to life and health. 3!- 3. They that are in prifon and are delivered. 4'4. They that are delivered from fhipwrack. 5. They that are preferved from the hands of their enemies. Thefe feveral forts of men, as he there fpeaketh, when they cry unto the Lord, hedelivereth them out of their diftrefs ; and therefore he often reiterates this and faith, Oh that men would thereforepraife the Lord for hisgoadnefi, anddeclare the won- ders that heBoth for the children of men. And this deliverance by prayer hath three effects whereby God is glorifi- ed. t. When an humble minded man upon his prayer finds this deliverance; he is Pfal. ;4; thankful and glad. By this !inners (feeing Gods goodnefs in hearing the Prayers of his Servants) ro74a, fha11beconverted. 3. The mouth of wickednefs (hall be flopped. By all theft ways Prayer brings glory to God. If thenPrayer bring fuchglory to God, and that without it God is like to be de- frauded c` a great part of his honour. 2. It concerns us neceffarily toprattífe it : and that not only in refpedt of God, but of our felves too. Our Saviour fheweth thisby the Parable of the Widow and Luc.ts.r. theunjuft Judge, where her importunity prevailing with a wicked Judge, fhews a majori, how powerfull Prayer is with God, a Father of tender mercies, and that we ought to pray always and not faint. And therefore having a care that we fhould know how to pray, hehimfelf who never did any fuperfluóus act, and who is our Advocate and daily Interceffor with God, fet down a form to our hands, to inftrutt how to pray daily. In the ufe whereof, that cotises to minde, which Chryfofiom obferves in his firft Book de orandoDeum, out of Dan. 6. to. where bodily deathbeing fet before Da- vid, if heprayedduring thirty days, on the other fide, tanyuam fi, as ifthe forbea- rance for that time would be thedeath of his Soul, he chofe rather tohazard his life, than toneglect his daily cuftom. In theLaw befides the obfervation of the Sabbath there was a morning andan e- vening facrifice. Whichwas a Type, and is explained by the Pfalmift to be Pfal.r4r.së prayer, Prayer incenfe in the morning, and lifting up of hands (which is nothing elfe but Prayer) for the evening,Sacrifice. The Fathers have forthe molt part writ- Num. 18,38; ten largely upon the neceffityofthis duty, and call it Clavem dtei, & reran; ma-Us, the Key to open the day, and the bar to fhut in the night. St. Chryfof?om calls itfigna- enlum die?, theSeal of the day, out of the Apoftle, who faith , Thatthe Creatures :n Tim 4.5. aregoodbeing fan(tifted by Prayer, elfe not, and fo it is a Seal to confirm a bleffrng of theCreatures for the day following, And in this refpett it is faid, that our Saviour bleffed the loaves, by lookingup to Heaven, that is by praying, as alto themeat at Mat r4,19. Supper by bleffing itbefore, andPinging an hymn of thanksgiving afte . s6.2G. Andthis is no new thing, but a cuftome as antient as Abraham, as the Jewss re- 30' cord, who continue it(till : the chief of the Family firft takes bread, and biefes itby prayer, and thenbreaks it, and the (aft thing is to take the Cup, and then to give a fecond blelliing ; this being fo holy a prattife, the whole Church of the Jews to bur Saviours timeobferved it as a thing molt neceffary : from which cuftom Chrift translated theufe of it to his own Supper: The Apoftle fits all-the reit of the fpi- H1a4;6.t 3; ritual Armour to fome fpecial part, as to the head, the breaft, the feet, but fpecifies no part
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