A Pra$cal Expofttion and gtcatly conducible unto your Salvation, to lay before your Confideration as hritf aqi lilccinU an Expofirion thereof as the large Extent and various Copioufnefs of the Matter contain'd therein will permit. The Ble!I'ed Apoftle St. Paul in 1 Cor. r.;. 1 5· tells us, That IJC would pray witb the Spirit, and be would pray with Underj/onding a!fo. And indeed when we pray to pray with Underftanding what we pray, is one great Requifi te to make our Prayell Spiritual, and through the Prevailing lnrerceffion of Jefus Chtifl ro become acceptable unto God the Father. Bur to mutter over a Road of Words only, (as the Papifts are taught, and as Multitudes of many Ignorant Pelfons among us do alfo) without undedtanding what they lignifie, or being duly affeaed with rhofe Wants a~d Neceffiries which we beg cf God the Supplies o!~ is not to ofler up a Prayer unto the Almighty, but only to make a Charm. Now becaufe there is no Form of Prayer that ever we have heard or read of that is defer.vcdly fo much in ufe as this of our Laid's is, I fhall endeavour, in fOme Difcourfes thereupon, to unfold to you diofe Volumini)US Requefts wh1c~ we offer up unto God when we thus pray, as our Saviour teacheth us; wherein, as 1doubt not but as I may greatly· inftruU the Ignorance of many, fo poffihly I may hdog ,·cry much to the Remembrance of rhofe who have attain'd to great Undt rll and 1ng in Rdigion thofe Things which may provoke their Zeal, and excite their Alf,Hioo·' And both thefe Undertakings, through the Bleffing of God upon ir, may be "'Y ut.fully profi· table to enable them to pray with Undedlandingl and with the: Spilir alfo, when $hey approach the Throne of Grace to prefent their Petitions umq the Gre-at G..>d> as by the lnterceffion, fo in the Words, of his Dear Son. In this Chapter, which contains in it great Part of our Saviour's Sc:rmon on the Mount, ou r Lord lays before his Hearers teveral DireB:ions concerning Two Neceff'al}t Duties in a Chtiftian's Praft:ice, and they are Almlgiviog and lJrayer; the former a Duty relating more immediately unto Men, the latter a Du tv in a more: efpecial Manner refpe8ing God himfelf; in both which he not only cauuons us againitl but ftriaty forbids, all Oftenration and Vainglory. Therrfore, fays be, wben zhou dofl thine JJ.lms do not found aTntmpet before thee, for rhis is the Prp{/ice of Hypocriru, tlJ4t they may have Glory of Men, Verfe 2. .tJnd when thou praJrft be not as the Hy. pocritu, for they love to pray in the Synagogues, and Corners oj t~r StruJs, that they be jeen o{ Men, Verfe 5· Thus muft we not do in either oi thele Cafes; for as we mufi not give Alms that we may be feen of Men, fa neither rruft we pray that we may be heard and obferv'd of Men: For what can be more abfurd and ridiculous, as well as wicked and impious, than to be begging Applaufe ffom fome when we are giving Alms to others? Or, whilll we are praying to the Grea~ God of Heaven and Earth, to make frail Mortal Men, like our felves, our Id ols ~ Which we do whenfo~ ever we pray rather that we may be heard and admird by Men> than that God fhould hear us, and accept us. In the next Words our Saviour proceeds in laying down fame other Direaions con~ cerning the Duty of Prayer, and therein he forbids his Hearers ro ufe Vain Repeti· tions in Prayer, Verfo 7· Wben you pray ufc not Vain Rcpcririom,as the lteatbenr do1 Not that all Repetitions in Prayer are Vain Babhliogs in th<S>ght of God; for OJJt Lord himfelf pray'd Thrice, ufingthe fame Words; for fo we read, li'latrh. 26. and 44· For doubtlefs as Copioufnefs and Variety of Flu<nt Expreffions in any ufualfy flow from raifed Aflcaions, fo when thofe Affeaions are heighmed and raifed to an Exta· fie and Agony of S<?ul in our Wreftlings with God in Prayer, Ingeminacions are then the mofi Proper and mofi Elegant Way of expreffing them, doubling and redoubling the fame Petitions again and again, not allowing God (if I may fo fpeak with Holy Reverence) fo much Time, nor our felves fo much Leifure, as to fOrm in our Minds, much more with our Lips, to otfer up any New Requcfl•, till by a Holy Violence in wrcllling with God we have extorted out of his Han~s rhofe MerciOs and Blef. fings our Hea~ts are (et upon the fuiog to him for. Vain Repetition~ therefore are fuch as are made ufe of by any without New and Lively Srirrings and Mo· tions of the Heart and Al!etlions at the fame Time : And that which makes a Pray· er vain, makes a Repetition in Prayer to be vain alfo. Now that is a Vain Prayer, and we !hall certainly lin4 it fo, when the Rcquefls we offer up to God therein are hearrlcfs and lifelefs. For we mufi know God bath commanded us to pray, not that he might be excited and moved by heating the Voice of our Cries in Prayer to give unto U& thofe Merdcs and llleffings which ho himfelf was not
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