on the Lord's Prayer. not refulved befOrehand to beftow upon us, hut that we our fdves mi ght be firted and prepared ro receive from him what he is alwa~s ready and willing ro confer upon us. He requires Prayer from us, not that he m1ghr be affiCh:d therewith ; fof as the Apofile St.Jtzmcs tells us,Wirh him there is no Variablenejs, nor fhadow of Turn· ing) James 1. 17. but that we ou~ ~elves might have our ~earts ra!fed and aff,£l:e~ therewith. And therefore the chre!efr Ef!ea of Prayer berng to af!ea our felves, rf Prayer itfelf be not vain~ neither are Repetitions in Prayer vain, if whilft we are lineading the fame Requefls before God we do it with new Affeaions and Defires• No Prayer there! ore ought to be accufed of idle Babbling, and vain Repetitions; but rhofe that Pray may ( l fear) too often be charged w~t~ it.. And here by the Way I delire all tbofe who are offended at, or refu fe to JOm w1th, the Stated Forms of Prayer that theChurch bath appoimed .robe made ufe o_f, ei ther in Publi~k o~ Private 1 becaufC the f.tme Requefi:s do m1ny umes occur therem, to kct.:p a fina Eye upon t hei r Hearts and Affeaions, and then the Scruples and Objetlions thar they mako will prefenrly be removed; for ic is much in their ownPower ro make them to be either vain Repetitions, or rhe moft fervent Ingeminations oftheir mofi: Affetlionate De; !ires unto God, and the moll Spiritual and Forcible l'art of all their Prayers and Sup· plicarions they offer up unco him. But then further, as ourSaviour forbids vain Repetitions in Prayer, fo he likewife forbids much Speaking; for they think) fays our Saviour, Sr. .IHauh. 6. 7· That zbey jha/1 be beard for their much Speaking. Now as the former Prohibition doth not exdude all Repetitions in Prayer, fc neither doth this latter exclude (as fome ignorant PerfOns perhaps who are foon wearied out with the Service of God may be apt to rh !nk ) long Prayers, for this would be a flat (_:onrradiaion t? his own PraEl:ice, for it is faid in St. Luke 6. 12. That he went out zmo a Mountllln to Pray, and continued all Nigbt in Prayfr unto God. Some indeed take the Word "eJ"'"X;, Prayer, to fignifie the Houfe of Prayer, as if our Saviour continued only in fuch a Ded icated Houfe or Chapel all N ight, accord· ing as Juvenal ufeth the Word, in qua te qu£ro proftucbo. Yet as it will be hard to prove that the Jews. had any fuch ~oufes for Pr.ayer, befides their Synagogues, which were not feated m Defolate, (whither our Saviour went then ro Pray,) but in Populous, Cities, and frequented Places, fo it ~ill be more bard to imagine that out Saviour would continue all Night in the Houfe of Prayer, if he had not been taken up in the performance of the Duty of Prayer. There is tbere~ore a great deal of J?ifference between much fpeaking in Prayer, and fpeakmg much rn Prayer; for cettarnly a Man may fpeak much to God in Prayer when yet.he may not be guilty of !"uch fpeaking: ~or there is a Compendious Way of fpeakrng, ro fpeak much m a ltttle; and there rs a Babbling Way of fpeaking when by many tedious Ambages and long Impeuinencies Men pour out a Sea of \Vords, and Ci;arce one Drop ofSenfe or Matter. Now it is th is lalt Way offpeaking unto God which our Saviour here condemns and condemns it juftly, for it !hews either Folly or Irreverence: Folly, in that it i: a Sign we do nor futficiemly confider what we ask; Irreverence, in rbat it is a Sign we do not confider ofwhom we ask: And fuch Men are ra ther to be efreemed Talka, tive than Devour. · But when a Man's Soul is full fraught with Matter, ( of which if he duly weighs, either his Spiritual Wants, or his Temporal Sorrows and AffliEl:ions, he can nevtr be u~furniihed,) to pour out ~is Soul, and with a ~orr~nt o.f Holy Rher~rick lay opet1 hts Cafe before God, beggmg Seafonahle Supphes rn fuuable Exprefttons certainly he cannot fall under the Reproof of much fpeaking, although he may rP.,ak much and long, for fuch an one hath much to fay ; and whilfr Mat~er and Affeaions Iafr, let h1s Prayer be an Hour long, yea, a Day long, yea, an Etermty long, as our Praifes fhall be in Heaven, he is not to be cenfured for a Babbler, but bath frill fpoken much in a little. 1t is true, the Wife Man bath Commamled, That •urWords be few in our AddrefJes toGod, Ecclef. S· z. ~nd he. gives~ mofl forcible Reafon; For God is in Heaven, ond thou •pon Earth- Hrs lnfimte Majelly fhould therefore overawe thee fiom ufing ·any rafh and vain Loquacity. But yet this makes notagainlllong Prayers. for many Words may he bur a few to exprefs the Sentiments of our Souls · and n~ne can be too many wbile the Heart keeps pace with the Tongue, and every Petition is fi lled with Matter, and winged with Affeaions: Hhh And
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