258 SIXTH SERMON should not be allowed to beseech God, Prov. i. 24.28. isa. i. 15. His ear is not heavy that it cannot hear, but iniquity separates between us and him, and hides his face that he will not hear, Isa. lix. 1, 2. Ezek. viii. 18. God heareth not sinners, John ix. 31. the prevalency of prayer is this, that it is the prayer of a fighteous man, Jam. v. 16. and indeed no wicked man can pray in the true and proper notion of prayer. It is true, there is a kind of prayer of nature, when men cxy in their distress unto the God and author of nature, for such good things as nature feeleth the want of, which God in the way of his general provi- dence and common mercies is sometimes pleased to answer suitably to the natural desires of those who ask them. But the prayer of faith (which is the true notion of prayer, Rom. x. 14. Jam. i. 15.) goes not to God as the author of nature, but as the God of grace, and the Father of Christ, and doth not put up mere natural, but spiritual requests unto him as to a heavenly Father, which requests proceed from the Spirit of grace and supplication, teaching us to pray as we ought, Zech. xii. l4. Rom. viii. 26, 27. Gal. iv. 6. So that they who have not the spirit of Christ enabling them to cry, Abba, Father, are not able to pray a prayer of faith. Prayer hath two wills con- curring in it whenever it is right, our will put forth in desires, and God's will respected as the rule of those desires : for we are not allowed to desire what we will ourselves of God, but we must ask according to his will, 1 John v. 14. Now whensoever impe- ,nitent sinners pray for spiritual things, they do ever pray contrary to one of these two wills : when they pray for mercy and pardon, they pray against God's will, for that which God will not give : for mercy is proposed to, and provided for, those that forsake sin,
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