322 'The Support of Good Men, Vol. 1, And this earneft Application we are tomake to God, for his grace and feafn_ able help in time ofneed ; not to put him in mind of his Promife, but to teftify our dependance upon him, and expeEtation of all Good from him. And we mutt likewife ufe great Importunity in our Prayers to God, to affiifl us and ftand by us in the Day of Trial, and tree Hour of Temptation. And therefore our Saviour heaps up feveral Words, to denote the great Earneftnefs and Importunity which we ought to ufe in Prayer, bidding us to ask, and feel¿, and knock And to flew that he lays more than ordinary weight upon this Matter, and to encourage cur Importunity, he fpake two feveral Parables to this Purpofe ; the fide, Iuke 11.5. of the Manwho by sneer Importunity prevailed with his Friend to rife at Midnight .to do him a kindnefs, which our Saviour applies toencourage our Importunity in Prayer, v. 9. And Ifay unto you, ask, and it /ball be givenyou ; leek, grid yefhalìfrrd; knock, and it (hallbe opened unto you. The other is the Parable of the importunate Widow, and unjuflJudge, related by the fame Evangelift, Luke 18. r -, with this Preface to it ; and he fake a Parable untothem to this end, that Men might always to pray, and not to faint. And to fpeak the truth, they feem at firft fight two of the oddeft of all our Saviour's Parables, if the defign of them were to infinuate to us to that God is tobe prevailed upon by theweer Importunity of ourPrayers, to grant our Regnefts : But our Bleffed Saviour, who belt knew his own Meaning, tells us, that all that he defign'd by it, wasonly to fignify, that see ought always to pray, and not to faint ; that is, to continue inftant in Prayer, and not to give over after once asking, as if we defpaired of prevailing. Not that meer Importunity prevails with .God to give us thofe things which he is otherwife unwilling to grant; but be= caufe it becomes us tobe fervent, and earneft, to teflifyour Faith and Confidence in the Goodnefs of God, and the deepSenfe we have of our own Weaknefs, and Wants, and Unworthinefs ; and likewife that we fet a true Value upon the Blef fings and Favours of God, as worth all the Earneftnefs and Importunity we can ufe : And in this decent and lober Senfe, the Succefs of our Prayers may truly be faid to depend upon our Importunity ; not that it isneceffary to move God to grant our Requefls, but that it becomes us to be thus affe&ed, that we may be the more fitly qualified for the Grace and Mercy which God is willing to confer upon us. I have been the longer upon this, to `give us a right Notion of this Matte?, and that we may the more diftin&ly underftand the true Reafon why our Sa, icur does require fo much Earneftnefs and Importunity of Prayer on our part; not at all to work upon God, and to difpofe hitn to Blew Mercy to us (for that he is always inciinablê'to whenever we are fit for it) but only to difpofe and qualify us to receive the Grace and Mercy of God, with greater 'advantage to our felves. S. Provided moreover, that we be not confident of our felves, and of theForce and Strength of our own Refolution. We know not our (elves, nor the Frailty and Weaknefs of our own Refolution, 'till we are tried. 'Tis wifeAdvice which Solomon gives us, and never more feafonable than in the Day ofTrial, Prov. 3.'5,6,7. Trutt in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not to thy oren underflanding 5 inall thy ways acknowledge him, and he Pall direlf thy paths ; be not wife in thineown eyes; that is, be not conceited and confident of thine own Wifdom and Strength, or Ability in any kind; there is a fecret Providence of God, which mingles it Pelf with the A&ions and Spirits ofMen, and difpofeth of us unknown ro our felves ; and what we think tobe the effe&of ourown Strength and Refolution, ofour own Wifdom and Contrivance, proceeds from an higher Caufe, which unfeen to us,does fteer and govern us. So the Wife Man obferves, Prov. 2o. 24. Man's goings are of the Lord, how can a Man then underhand his oren ways? And therefore we have reafon every one to fay with the Prophet, : er. ro. 23. O Lord Iknow that the may, of Man is not in himfelf, it is not in Man thatwalketh to direct his hops. Our feet will loon flip, if. God do not uphold us by his hand. Remember Tow fhamefully the chief of our Lord'sDifciples mifcarried, by toomuch confidence inhimfelf, I mean St. Peter; in whole Fall we may all fee our own Frailty; if God do but permit the Devil
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