344 Chap. 6. An Expo(tion upon the Book of J OB. Verf., 17 And as thefe are the ingredients of prayer, fo they are all neceffary ingredients ; fo neceffary that if any one of them be wanting, the whole prayer is impure : They are neceffary by a double neceffity. Firft, as còmmanded by God in prayer. Secondly, As means without whichman cannot attain his end in prayer. The general end of prayer, is, that prayer may be heard, accepted, and anfwered ; God hears, accepts, anfwers, no one prayer, without fomeconcurrence ofall thefe, The Incenfe of the Ceremonial Law was a fhadow ofprayer, which is fogreat a duty ofthe moral Law : But if this Incenfe had not been made exafly according to the will of God, both for the mat- ter and the manner of the compofition, prefcribed (Exod. 30, 34,35,36.) Ifafter it had been thus made, it had not alto been offered according to thofe rules given (Levit, i6.1 2, i 3.) it had been an abomination to the Lord; or as the Prophet Ifaiah.fpeaks (Chap. 66,3.) Such a burning of Incenfe had been but as the blefngof an Idol. We may conclude alto, That, if prayer be either cornpofed, or prefented in any other way then God himfelf hath dire&ed, it is not onely turned away, but turned into fin. That man bathfpoken a great word, who canfay (in jobsfenfe) My prayer ispure. Thus job ¡unifies the prayer he made to God, and main- tains his juf}ice towards men. There it no injuftice in myhands, alfa myprayer ispure : A high prufrflìon, yet in thenext words he goes higher, and makes both' an imprecation againf}him fell if it were not thus with him, and an appeal to God for his teflimony, that it was thus with him. 0B,
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