Coml. Of Prayer andZhanksgiving. Opp.r And as God is ready to prormfe, fo is he alto ro perform; yea fo ready is he on his parr, that he faith, before they call I will hear. To teftifie this, he ereetedEGX6fs4. aMercy Seat its the Tabernacle : and when the Temple was built, he gives it á name Ezod. ;o. 6,.; from this duty of Prayer, The Houfe of Prayer, to thewhow ready he would be aY' S6.', to he the Prayers there.put up; and that not only by his own people , but even by ftangcrs too ; for whom Solomon prayed at the confecration of the Temple : King g and this was acknowledgedby the PerfianKing, who calls it, the Houfeof the God 8zrá7 ;;. ' Of Heavco. Herein was the Mercy Seat placed, and the firft part of the fervice was incenfe, which as v e (hewed before, is often 'interpreted to fipnifie prayer : and Peal »tor, a; fo it is intimated in the Gofpel, when we read that the people were without pray..: ing, while the Prieft was within at the typical worfhip, burning of incenfe. And asGod had a Seat of Mercy thenon Earth, fo hath he now ere&ed a ThroneofGrace in Heaven, from whence, fi afcendat orario, defcendat gratia, if Prayer afcend, Grace defends. And becaufe that we cannot have accefs by our felves, by reafon cif our fins, therefore order is taken, that we may have accefs per aliar, by another, Rom. ç. _. even by Chri(t, who to affare us the more of the efficacyof our Prayers, not only in his flefh offered up prayers and fupplications withprong crying and Tears, FIeb. g.7; but dill makes interceffron for ús; and therefore in the Revelation, he is figured by an Angel that receives the Prayers of theSaints in Golden cenfures, mingles1,! ?.8'64. there with incenfe, to ma,lce them acceptable, and fo offers them up to his Father. So that as he prayeth for us himfelf, fo hemakes our Prayers acceptable, and there. Zae, r n. so, fore he makes us Priefts to God, to offer this Spiritual facrifice of Prayer, and Gal.4.6, praifcs ; as, and it was promifed, to pour upon us the Spirit of Graceand fuppli. cation , To it is performed by Gods fending the Spirit of his Son into our Hearts, whereby we cry, Abba Father; which Spirit helpcth our infirmities, and when we ktro ' not how to pray, makes interceflion for us with Sighs and Groans that cannot beexpreffed. So that we have no reafon to doubt of the efficacy of ou. Prayers with God, but to reff affured, that God is highly pleafed with them, and is ready and willing to hear us, and togrant what we ask according to his Will. Thus we fee, all is performed on Godspart. Now for the Duty it felt. This Duty of Invocation here commanded contains in it two things. a. A lifting up of ourSoul, a fixingof the mind upon God, as the Author and giverof all good. Pfala if. r. 2- A pouringout of our Soul, a full declaration of our defires, andmeditations, or what it is we require of God. ahi. x; Invocation or Prayer is divided into either for our felves, which'alfo is Deprecation 4'±nr, for the 1. Petition,and that fubdivided into removal of tomeevil. Precation for the obtain- or forothers which we call ing of Tome good, frN?!?i Interceflìon, ùaois. 2. Tharkfgiving, r. The F 1 part of Petition is Deprecation, that evil felt or feared may be re; moved. and this is moll properly and ufually the matter of our Prayer. Is any man af. fiicted(ì:rithSt. lamer) let him pray;.and though Hope apprehends nothing but good, ac' 1.Q3ò yet the removal of evil hath rationem boni, and fo may be the object of Hope, and the fubirct of Prayer. And this confifts in three points. 1. °Jt málum avertatur, that evil may be turned away before it come, I befeech thee, O Lord, ( faith the Prophet) let thine anger and fury be turned away. That pan' g1$° Gods wrath may be turned away, before it come upon us. 2. Vtma/um rauferatur, that evil may be taken away after it hath feizedupon us. rial, x . ;t; Deliver ifrael, O Lord, out of all his troubles. That being in trouble we may be de- livered á out of it : and this is called liberatio, deliverance. 3. Vt »alum minustur, that evil may be lefíened. Let thine anger ceafe from upq (faith the Pfalmift ) mitigairam roam; when wepray for a diminution, that fo we may be able to bear it. But
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