Of Pcrfcverance in Prayer. when he comes to beg temporal M.ercies of God, and whilrt he thus asks 1 worldly Comforts he cannot ask amdS. It was an excellent Saying of the Satyr~£l ~Ve ask thofc '11Jt'ng; oj God, fays he, that plcafe our preftnt 1-lwnoun' and Dejircr b ' God give; tho[e thmgs th:u a;·c beft and firrejt for ur j for we are dearcr to him,· fai:; ~he Heathen, than we arc to our felvcs. And, fays another very well, it is mer m God not to het!_r t~J n:hm 111e a~k Thmgs _that are evil; .and when he rcfufeth us ~ fuch Requefts, Jt 1s that be mtght not ctrcumvent us 1n our own Prayers· for itl~ ·deed whilft we ask rafi1ly and intemperately whatever ~e foolifhly fet ou~ Hearts 11pon) s;od need take no other courfc to plague and punilh ~s, than by hearing and anfwcn ng of us. So much for the matter of our Prayer, tt muft be for Thingr that t~re according to God's IVi!l. 4. Fourth!)', Obferve alfo the manQer how our Prayers muft be dire{ted unto God' !~jip;;,, That is, · . '· In tbe Name of Cbrifl. '· Wemufl praJin , Faith, ~· Pr.ayer muff be wit6Affe8ionand JluventJ. !o tbeEnd of «U our Pr«rers mujf~ JieGlorJ •f GDdo Firfr, J·Ve mufl pray in the Name of Chrift. Before the Fall Man miaht boldly have gone to God in his own Name, and fpeak to him upon his own ac~ount . but fince tbe .great Br~acb ~nad~ betw ixt Heaven an? Earth, fincc that great QJ1 ~rrel and Enm ity arofe betWixt liod and Man , there IS no hope of Man's finding acccp~ tlnce with God upon his own account, and therefore he muft go to God in the Name of a Mediator, Hence Chrift faith, If ye ask any thing in my N4me 1 will tJ 11 ~t for you, J ohn 14:. 31. Now to ask ~n the ~ame of Chrift, is nothing clfe but m all our Addrefics to God to plead his Ments, and to depend upon his Media~ rions for the obt.aining of thofe good Things that we defire. le was. truly faid, God henrethnot Smners, John 9· 3r. And how then can we whoa re Smne1s yea the chiefeft of Sinners, hope for audience and acceptance with him who h;a reth none fuch? But yet though God hcarcth not Sinners, yet he alwavs hcareth his Son, wh~ is continually mak~ng. lnterceffion for ~inners; yea, ai1d he always hearcth S1nt1ers that COI~tc ro him In the ~ame of ius Son , and by Faich tendcrd up his Merits, through w(11ch alone they expeCt Favour and to prevail with God. All Things go by Favour and Friendlhip in the Court of Heaven ; if we fi:and upo 11 our own Merits ami Deferts, we iliall be lhamefuliy difappointed in ou r ExpeCtations; no Merit t akes place in Heaven but only the Merit of the Lord Jefus Chrift, and whilft we argue that by Faith with God, we come to him in the Name of his Son. Secondly, Our Prayers muft be put up wirh Faith, j<hnes I · 6. L et him ask in Faith fays theApoftle, nothing wavering; forletnotfuch a Man, that is, let m:rt fudt; Man that wavers, think to receive ~tny good Thing o( God, So in Heb, 11. 6. He that cometh to God muft believe that he is, and that he U a retvarder of thofo th11t diiigemly f eek him. Faith is the Soul's Hand, whe reby it receives thofe Bleffim~~ th:it God willingly beftow~. Now this is the Reafo~ why though we do fo of'ten pray to God, yet we arc !till fo indigent and neceffitous; God's Ears are not heavy, his Arms are not lhortned, neither are his Bowels dried up; no, !till he bath the fame Power, the fame Will, and the fame Love to,h is Children that ever he had; but we want a Hand to rece ive thofe Mercies that God hath a Heart and a Hand to give forth unto us, and that's the rcafon of our Necefficoufi1efs, notwithftand ing we do fo often come before God in Prayer. Thirdly, Our P1ayers muft be put up as with Faith, fo with Fervency alfo; and therefore it is required that we fhould be fervent in Spirit, ferving the Lord, Rom. 12. r 4· and fo the forecited place, The tjfeflual, fervent Prayer of a r'f'ht eous Man avai/u h much. We fhould ftrive to kindle in our Souls a holy Flame o heavenly AffeCtions when we come to God in Prayer. The Prayers of the Saints were typified under the old Law by lncenfe, but now no Incenfe was to be offered up without Fire : So truly there fhould be no Prayer offered up to God without theFire and Flame of hoJy Affections and Fervency. How do you think that a dull and heavy Prayer lhould mount up as high as Heaven? Or, that God lbould hearken or regard wbat we fpeak, when we fcarcc regard what we fpeak our felves? That for ' the manner of our Prayer. . Fifchly, We muft obferve the End that we outhtto aim at in our Praytrs, and that ~s the Glory of God, we muft yray for thofe Things that we want, with fobmiffion to J;jJ ~~li and with reference to his Glory, that mu it be the end of our Prayers. . Our Defign I.n begging any thing from God, Jhould be that he may have it out of us again in h1s Service, an<\ to his Honour and Glory; and·whilfi: we propofe this to our felves we are
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=