Of God's Omnipre{cnce. they become fa loud, that God cannot ftop his Ears againfl: them. The Voic:c of Prayer 1s not like other Voices, the further they reach, the weaker they r,row · no, that Voice which is fa weak that it cannot be heard beyond the compafs ~f thY Clofct, yet when it is pot forth in Prayer, it fills all Heaven with its found. But 1 where is the encouragement unto Prayer in all this? If thou dolt belong to God, thou may'ft have great encouragement unto Prayer from the Confide ration of his Omniprefence; for becaufe of this there is no Prayer of a Child of God but thall be heard in Heaven though it be uuered in fecret: For confider, that thoue,h Chrifr, as Man, is only in Heaven, yet Chrift, as God, is every-where prefent, and hears the Prayers of all Men in the World. Thofe that are wicked he regards no furl her, but gives them the bearing; but for his own, he regards their Pr:tyers, and prefcnts what he hears from them to God inHeaven; Chrift makes hisOmn ifcience and Oru~ niprcfence w be fubfervient to the Work of his Mediator/hip: One of his Offices is to be a faithful High-Prieft and an Advocate to God for us; and Chrift being fuch an Advocate, that hears all the Suits and all the Caufes of his Clients, we m<~y be affured, ·that there is not one Prayer that God hears on Earth from U", bnt he hears it alfo in Heaven, through Chrift. It was a notable Scoffof Etijt!h to Btud'sPricfts, 1 Kjvgs 18. 27. Cry aloud, for he is a God, &c. peradwnturc he jluperh mtd muft be walud. As if he Ihould fay, You ferve an unworthy God, that cannot hear thofe that pray unto him. And indeed how lhould he do fo, that is not Omniprcfent? He is talking, or he is purfuing, or ~ravc/Jing; Cry! Cry aloud! and peradventure, if he fleepeth, that wall awaken bun. But thowgh you fhould cry never fo loud, though your Cry Chould reach from Earth to Heaven, he would be fdent; fuch a God as yours could never hear. And therefore when Elijah himfelf 'ame to pray, Y erfc 36. the Text doth 110t tell us he cried aloud, b'ut that be came near. But when Ba.:d's Priefts roared and howled, like diitraaed Men, and cut themfelves in an Idolatrous manner, Ba~ti is not prevailed with to hear them. Now, Elijah &ame near; that is, he came in a calm and fedate manner, and poured out hjs fervent compofure to God, as knowing, that that God whom he prayed to, ii pre[cnt every-where. The Voice in Prayer is neceffary upon a threefold Account: (t.) Firft, As it is that which God requires fhould be imployed in his Service,· for this is the great end \\'hY our Tongues tvere given to us, that by them we might blefs and ferve God, 'James 3· 9· ' (1..) Secondly, When in private it may be a Help and Means to raifc up our own AftCO.ions and Devotions, then the Voice is requifite, keeping it frill within the bounds of decency. and privacy. (3.) TIJirdty, ln our joyning alfo with others, it is a help likcwife to raifc and quicken their AffeCtions ; otherwife, were it not for thcfe three Rcafons, the Voice is no. more necetfary to make known our \V ants to God, than it is to make them known to our own Hearts; for God is always in us and with us, and knows what we have need of before \Ve ask it. Set:"ondly, As the Confideration of God's Omniprefence Ihould encourage us in Vfe 2 , Prayer, as knowing that God certainly hears ns, fo it lho11ld affeCt us with a Holy Awe and Reverence of God in all our Prayers and Duties, and in the whole Courfe of our Lives and Converfarions. Certainly it is an excellent Meditation to prepare our Hearts to Duty, and to compofe them in Duty, to be much pon~ dcring the Omnipre{ence of God, to think that I am with God, he is prefcnt in the Room with me, even in the Congregation with me, and like wife in my Clofet, and in all rily Converfe and Dealings in the World: How can it be poffible for that Man to be frothy and vain, that keeps this Thought alive in i1is Heart? Jf the Prefencl'.: of fame Earthly Perfon ftrike an Awe in our Hearts when' we come before them, how much more thould the Confideration of God's Prcfence affeCt us with an Holy Fear? Suppofe an Angel fhould fly in the midft of us, that are here prefent, with a rufhing and dazling Glory, how would it n~akc all our Hearts beat and throb within us? le would make us foon abandon a\1 thofe vain Thoughts that now we feed upon, thofe Thoughts that eat out the Heart and Life of Du... ty; how much more Ihould it affeCt us and fill us with Holy Fear, that God is now and always in the midft of us, whofe Glory fhi ns and fullies the Beauty, and extinguilbes the Light of Angels. Oh ! that God, that is always prefent with us, fhould be worJhipped and ferved with a Holy Fear, and rtlhcmbred S f f f f 2 with
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