Ghap,S, An:Expofition upon the Bookof I 0B. Vert6. _ vet's), ppt,yr is heard and laid'up,affoon as putup; he -hangs it upon the file, he bath it fafe by him. Prayer receives an anfwer in hea- ven,. affoon as fpoken upon earth , though the anfwer be not re- turned to us on earth. GodPeps not at theprayer ofthole who are awake in Prayer. I liirdly,' Obferve, Prayer is the beffi means to awaken God. :God bath many wayes to awaken man ; and he bath directed Loan a way to awaken himfelf. When we are afleep he awakeneth us chiefly two wayes. Firlf, by the voice ofhis word : Secondly, by the voice of his rod. He now awakens us by the loud founding trumpet, and the alarms of wirre : when God awakeneth us by judgements, it is time for us toawaken him by prayer. We find two things in Scripture which awaken God. Firfi, the prayers of his ownpeople.. And fecondly, the rage and blafphemy of his e- nemies;P,fa1.78.65. The Prophet having defcribed the cruelty and rage of the enemy , adds ; Then theLordawaked as one out offleep, and like a mighty man that fhouteth by'reafon of wine : Davidmakes this an argument inprayer, (Pfal. 7.) Becaufe ofthe rage of mine enemies awake for me to the judgement which thou hall commanded. As ifhe had laid, Lord , (hall mine enemies rage , and wilt thou fleep ? Wilt not thou awake for me ? Arife, I pray thee. The noife of blafphemy, and the cry ofviolence from wicked men, fir upGod when he feems to lie afleep. Thenoife ofprayer, the cries and calls offaith in his own.people,wili not let him fleep. A man whole heart is drer hed in the world , and drowned in rivers of earthly plea-lures, prayes himfelfafleep, and his prayers bring God afleep to : he fleeps when he prayes, and God Sleepat his prayers, that is, God regards not his prayer ; he is as one that fleepeth, as ifhe heard not what was laid. Aworl'aly man doth not hear what he fpeaks, he knows not what his own requefts are. God fleepeth when then are thus afleep. But when we (as the Apofile direts) watch andpray,thenGod awakes at our prayers. As in the former verffe job was countelled to awake to pray to God , fo now he is promifed, That the Lord will awake wherr he prayeth. .Fourthly, Seeing the Lord is awakened by prayer. We learn , That Prayer ought to be very _Throng and f ervent. As men are graduai in their flcep,fì is the Lord in his. A man is fotnetimes fo ffumberingly afleep that the leaf noife will awake him, you cannot fir, but he will hear it. At another time a man is fo.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=