Baxter - BT785 B39 1657

Spiritual Peace and comfort. 49 fo to make a cloak for their rebellion, thefe prayers are all an abomination to the Lord. z. hen men ufe the words of a Prayer without thedelireof the thing asked, this is no Prayer, but equivocally fo called, as a carkafs is a man : and therefore no wonder if God abhor that Prayer, which truly is no I'rayer. Godhath not made a full promife, afcertain, ing anywicked man, while wicked, that he will hear his Prayer : for all fuch Promifes are made to Be- lievers. 4. God cloth never fo hear an unbelieversPrayer, as to accept his perfon with his Prayer, or to take a complacency in them. So much for the Negative. Now for the Affirmative I add : I.Praycr is a dutywhich God enjoyned even wicked men (I could prove it by an hundred Scripture texts.) 2. There may be force good delires in unbelievers, which they may exprefs in prayer, and thefe God may fo far hear as to grant them, as he did in part to Ahab. 3. Anunbeliever may lie under preparing Grace, and be onhis way inreturning towards God ,though yet he benot come to laving faith and in this flate he mayhave manygood defires, and fuch Prayers as God will hear. 4. Though God have not flatly engaged himfelg to unbelievers, fo as to give them a certainty of hearing their prayers, and giving them true Grace on the improvement of their naturals, yet he bath not only appointed,them this and other means to get Grace, but alfo given them halfpromifes, or thong probabilities offpeeding, fo much as may be a fuf G Mao _ _ _

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