on the Lord'r Prayer. Now all1hefe Attributes .of <;Jod are .annexed ro the Pctitiolf~ of tRis Prayer by the I llative Particle For, For tbzne u tbt Krngdom, the Power, and tbe Glory. And this carries in it the Srrengtb and Force of .a Reafon, both why we pray unto God; and likewife why God fhould grant us thofe Things t~at we pray for. Fir1t, We pray unto God, for his is the Kmgdom, and the Power, and the Glorj fOr ever, and therefore be alone is able to relieve and fupply us. ' Secondly, VVe plead for the obtaining of thofi: good Things which we ask of him, therefore grant them unto us, for thine i s the Kingdom~ and the Powc.r, and the,Glory, for ever. This adds ilrong Confolation and Affurance to our Faith, that we fhall be • heard in thefe Requefis rhat we prefent to God. For, . Firll, His i; the Kingdom, and we are his Subje{l;, . and therefore we may depend upon him as our King for Help and Proteaion. . . . Secondly, His i; tht Power, and therefore he is able to fupply and help us, and to do abundantly for us above what we can ask or think. · . Thirdly, His is the Glory, and therefore fince what we ask is for his Honour and Praik, we may firmly believe our Requefl:s ihall be granted unto us. And., Fourthly, All rhefe are his for ever, and rherefore we may reft a!fured that at no :Time our Prayers £hall be in vain: But as it is the fam<i unchangeable God, who in former Ages bath done &reat Things for, and given great Things unto, his Servants who have called upon bzm, fo he fiill retains rhe fame Power, and the fame Compaffion; his Ear is not heavy, nor hi.'i Arm fhortned, nor his Bowels withered, and therefore we may with Affurance expeEl: that he will fupply our Wants, and grant ~ur Defires, fince the Treafures of his Mercy are fo r ever unexhaufted. Thus every. :VVord is a forcible Reafon, both to oblige us to Addrefs our felves un,to God, and likewife ro move him to bellow upon us thofe good Things which- we thus ask at his Hands. And from hence by the VVay we may obferve Two Things. . Firll, That in our PrayetS we ought to plead with God by weighty and inforcing ReaJon;. . Secondly, That the moil forcible RcaJoiu in Prayer are to be taken from the At~ tributes of God. Firft, That in our Pray~rs we ought to plead with God by weighty and enforcing Rcafons. Thus God bids U$ to take unto our fdves Words, and to turn unto him, lioj'ta 14. 2. And thus if we look into Scripture, thofePrayersof the Saints which are there Recorded, we !hall find them Difputes, (if! may fo.call them,) as well as Requefis, and fo mimy Reafons urged in rhem, as if by Dint of Arguments they would conttrain God to yield to their Delires.. So in Mtljcs's Prayer, Exod. 32. 1 t. Where· fore d"th tby Wt·oth wax bot againfl thy Ptople, which thou bofl brought forth out of the Land of Egypt with great Power? Wherefore jbould tbe Egyptians Jay, for Mifchief did be bring them ottt to flay them in the Mountains, and to confume them Jr0111 the FOce of tbe Earth? Turn thee (rom thy fierce fVratb, and repent of this Evilagainfi thy People. Remember Abraham, ffaac, and Jacob, thy Servants, to whom thoufwarcfl by t hy ownfdf, andfaidft unto them, I will multiply your Seed as the Stars ofHeaven, and allrbis Land that ! have jpoken of will 1 give unto your Seed, andthey foal! inberit it for ever. And fo 1ofoua pleads with God, Jojb. 7· 8. 0 Lord, what ]hall I Jay wbtlt l frael tnrnctb their Back.J before their Enemies? For the Canaanites, and all the lnhabi~ tantsoft be LandJhall bear of it, andjhall environ us round, andcut off our ]\Tame from tlu Earth, andwhat wilt thou do unto thy great Name? And fo Jehtifhapbat, 2Chron. 20. 6. 0 LordGod ofour fathers, art not thou God in Heaven, and ruleft thou not over all the Kingdoms ofthe Heathens, and in thy Hand is there not Power and ll1ight, fo that none it able to witbfland tbu? And fo in the following VerJu he pleads with God by fuch powerful Arguments as if he would extort Mercy and Deliverance from him. Now ahho' it be true that all the Arguments we can urge, and all the Reafons rhat we can alledge, cannot alter the Purpofes and Determinations of God, as to any Evem 'hat he hath ordain'd, yet there is this Twofold UfeandNeceffity of pleading them. . Firft, Becaufe by confidering the Reafons we have to pray for fuch Mercies, our De4 fires will be the more earne!l and fervent for the obtaining of them: It will put Spirits and Ltfe mto our Petlllons., when we can reprefent to 6od the Neceffity of our asking, which to his Mercy will prove a· fl:rong Motive for his granting. Secondly, Becaufe Reafons in Prayer do mightily conduce to the firerigthning of o•r ;aith, and gives os great Encouragement to believe that we !hall certainly obQ,q q "io
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=