Of Perfeverance in Prayer. F irft If JOU would ha'rle 6od htt!Y you when you pray, you muft be Jure to hear him rrhm J, he }peak:. Sec th<~' place, Prov. t. 24, 28. ,.Becazife I have called and you hAw rcfujtd, rfeJ ~b~t and have Jtt at nought-all 111)' C&utifds, thercfO'n, fays God, )DU jllllll call but I 1r1illnot ~:; w~l!' lln[mtr, you foa!i [ttk me early but jh.tll not find me, God ftops his Ears againft their beAr tbem. Prayers, who frop {heir Ears againft his Law. So you find it, Prov. 28. 9· He that tumeth away his Ears from hearing the LAw, t':JI/1 his Prayey /hall be an .Abomination: And this is but Equity with God to refufe to hear them that refnfe to hear him. Where· fore fhould God give attemion to us when we Pray, more than we to him when he Spca~s? . . . .Secondly, if )'OU would h.cve God hear you, you muft be greatly a/[tlfrd with what you 2. [peak your jclws; Oui frigidi rogar, docet negare; He that ash coldly, begs only a Dcni- Pr.tJei ~!. Cettainly w;cannot in rcafon expect that God fhould rep;ard when we Pray, :7{l ~JJ~ when we do not regard our felves what we Pray. How do you think a lazy Prayer Elior.. that fcarce dtops out of your Lips, fhould have Strength and Vigour enough to reach Heaven, and to pierce throngh the Ears of God? If you expeCt to lhooc up a Prayer eo He<!ven, you mull: draw it from a Soul f.ull bent. Thirdly, ~Ve m11f come to God with Refolutions to w11it for an Anfrrer. We mufl: not J. giYe over Prayer becaufe God cloth not prefently beftow a Mercy upon us that we j:e muff. h defire; this is not only to lofe the Mercy it felf, but to lofe our Prayers altO. God is p~~~"~;: a great God and King; above all.Gods~ and ic is but his d-ue ftste to be waited long upon; in this Senfe it is true, He thAt believeth mnknhnot h41e. Certainly if we believe God to be infinitely wife to know the beft Seafon to give usv.'hat we crave both for his Advantage and for ours alfo, we f'hall not b~ in hafrc in our Suits, or peevifu becaufe we are not ftrait anfwered, but patiently wait God1s lcifure, as knowing that God bath read our Petitions, and will grant them when he feetA the fitte!t time. . Fourthly, If you would pray [1 m to be heard, be Jure pm put Jlf no Requefls in the ~· behalf of your Lujl-s. The Apoftlc gives the re-afon why, of fo many Prayers chat We mufl are put up to God, fo few prove fuccefsfuJ, 'James 4· 2. You ask and ycu receive Rt m.r;e not, becaujt you ask a'!'ifs t1 confume it upon your Llifh. Now ~0 ask Bleffings from fo;qo:er s God for our Lufts, ts when we beg any outward Mercy, be It Wealth or Health, Lufh: or tbe like, with reference to the gratify ing of our own carnal and corrupt De· - fires; therefore in 'James 4· 4· [he Apoftle calls them Adulterers 11nd Adultere/[cs: Snch Men arc indeed like Adultereffes in this; as they aik their Husbands thofe Things many times, that they beftow upon them that they love better; fo wicked Men do many times ask thofe Mercies and Bleffings of God that they intend t_o fpend upon their Lufts that they love better than-God, and therefore it is no wonder, that God, who knows their fecretThoughts and. Intents, denies them. Fifthly, 'You muft put f~me ftrefs. urn ytJUr Prayers, if you 1f/Otdd have them /;t~rd We ~~ft tmd accepted; yon muft believe that tns to fome purpofe that you pray: lf we tlunk p_11t.j;•m• it is of no great concernment to pray, God will think it is of no great concern- fir~ supment to give what we pray for. p .0~1 Sixthly, You mufl take heed al[o, that you do not put too muchflrefs upon your Pr~yen; r.:-.t;,rr· that you do not fet them up .in the ftead of Chrift, that you do not expeCl to me · We ~~ft rit by your Prayers the Things that you pr~y for, but 01dy look upon them as a nor put reo Means and Ordinance that God bath appointed to obtain thofc good Things d rat much ftrefs you frand in need of. . p:;::; Laftly, You muft be Jure tQ make 1efus Chri.ft yoNr Friend when you come unto God, or. 1 , tl[e all yDu.r Prayers are 110 better than fcattered in the Air, or fpilt in the C'tlrriaze. Ben- We muft jamin was a Type of Chrift in this refpeCl:: 'Jofeph chargeth his Brethren that th~Pl~.r~ tbc fhould not dare to fee his Face again, unlefs they brought their Brother Benjamin ~;'~};of with them. So truly th~y ~all find no Welcon: wi!h_God, that do no_t bring their ou;' p,~;. elder Brother Jefus Chnft m the Arms of then Fa1th, and plead lns Merit and tTI, his Righteoufnefs for the obtaining of their Defires. So much for this Time a:nd Text. Rrrrr i SERMON
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