Of Per[everance in Prayer:. which he fhcd his precious Blood. \Ne look upon it as a great Privilege to h:1re free and frequent accefs to thofe that are much our Superiors, and fuaU we nOt · reckon it a much higbei Privilege that we may at all times approach the prefence of him w~o is King of Kiugs and Lord of Lords, ·and higher than the higheft, as we may do at all times in Prayer? 3· . Thirdly, Prayer it i.s tiJe mojf fovereign Medicine r.nd Remedy for an ttlfliUed f;;,~~;:," Mi11d. No~hing is fo delirable in this World as a faithful Friend, to whom we ~melf f(lr may at all umes nnbo~om our fe lves, and ~ake all ot~r Secrets an~ Grievances an affliEird known. Now Prayer drrctls us to go to God htmfelf, he IS our moft fa~thful Friend Mi11d. that can be.ft counfel and beft help us, and Prayer is a means whereby we reveal the Secrets and Troubles of our Souls unto him ; Prayer it is our difcourfing with . God : 'When our Hearts fwell with Grief and .are ready to break within us, how fweet is it then to take God apart and give out Hearts vent? Prayer it js a ma. king our Cafe known to him, and a fprcad~ng our Wants before him, cafring all our Burthens upon him who hath promifed to fuftain us. 4. , Fourthly, confider, . Prayet is a means appointed by God for the obtaining .of thofc PraJt' u a Bleffings and Mercies th.at we ftand in need of; for all Things are Gad's, he is the m~ans/£· great Lord and Proprietor both of Heaven and Earth; whether they be fpiritual ~~~:Jar.tt or te_mporal Mercies that we.~efire, if it be Wealth, Strength or Wi(dom, all Mer&s are hts. If we would have fptrttual Bleffings conferred upon us, our Fatth, our that we Love, our Patience, our Humility , ftrengthned and encreafed, he is the God of all JI>Jnt. thefc Graces, and Prayer it is a means appointed by God to convey all thefe unto us. Our Prayers, and God's Mercy, are like two Buckets in a Well, while the one afcends, the other defcends: So while our Prayers afcend to God in Heaven. his Mercies and Blellings defcend down upon us. S· Fifthly, confider, .All our Supplies are only fo-r our prefent Exigences, to ferve us only Wear~ al~ [tom Hand to JJ1o11th; the ftock of Mercy is not ours but God)s, he Itill keeps ::!~.m it in his own Hands, and thi_s he doth that he might keep u~ in a .confl:ant therefore Dependence upon· him, and in a conftant ExpeB:ation of Mercy from him. Our we jhould Wants -grow up very thick about us, and if we did but obferve it; we fuould ''a.! aJ. find cYcry Day, yea, every Hour, new caufe to prefent new RequeJJ:s and Sup1»ays. plkations unto God; and 'herefore as our Ncceffities never ceaiC, fo neither lhould our Prayers. · 6. Si:rthly, confider this, Jf you roil/ not be per[uaded to pray, you jl~.a/1 one day be made ;Sff~!:' to howl. You that will not now lookup to Heaven in Prayer, 1hall hereafter Pro!f f}laU. look up in Blafphemino, lfai. 8.21. They /hall fret themfelvts, fays the Prophet, B"•l. and curfe God and their 'Kmg; that is, in their horrid Defpair and Anguifu they fhall Curfe and Blafpheme both God and thei~ King, that is, the Devil, and they lhalllook upwards. Though now wid;ed Men will not look to Heaven, yea then God will force them to look upwards. There may Two Objeffions poflibly be made againft this Duty of Prayer. Obj. 1 • Firft, God doth befon: hand know all our Wants and Deftres, and therefore what Ntceffity is there of Prayn? Anfw. To this I anfwer with St. Auguftirte; God, fays he, doth require that we jhould pray to him, 11ot fo much to make knotJm wh11t our Will and Defire is, for that he cannot be ir,noranl of; but it is /or •the Exercife of our Defires, and to draw forth our Ajfe~ £tions toward thofe 71Jings that we beg at hu Hands, that thereby we may be made fit to receive what he is ready to give~ Obj. 2 • Secondly, Say fome, It is in vain to pray, becaufe all out Prayers cannot alter the courfe of God's Providence; we cannot .by our moft fervent Prayers change the method of God's Decrees; if he hath refolved from Etemity to beftow fuch a Mercy upon us, we fh.!ll receive it whether we pr.ay or pray not; if he bath refolved we Jl~all nevrr partake of tt, if we do pray all our Prayers wia be in 'Vain. Anfro. I have loni fince anfwered this ObjeEfion, a_nd told you, That it is trl\,.e, God's Providence is immutable. But the fame Providence that orders the End to be obtained, hathlikewife ordered the Means by which it muft be obtain~d: As God !Ja[h · decreed Bleffings to us· fo he hath decreed that they lhould be obtamed by Praver; .Di~e8ion; and therefore we mult pray that we may obtain thofe Bleffings, tor that JS the haw r:~!' Means GOd hath decreed for the obtaining of them. muft Pray Some poiftbly may fay, Jfwe muft thus pray without ceajing, how jlJ~/l we be aJTurtd fo .ts r, be thAt God will hear us f If it be out l)uty to ptay, how fl~ali !Pe praJ [() as tnat oUY Prarrs -ccepred. may becorpe M'tptable UNto God? I anfwer, Ftrft,
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