loo A GUIDE TO PRAYER. what thy Son already asks thee for : we would willingly request nothing at thine hands, but what thine own Son requests before- hand for us: look upon the Lamb, as he had been slain, in the midst of the throne; look upon his pure and perfect righteous- ness, and that bloodwith which our High-priest is entered into the highest heavens, and in whichfor ever he appears before thee to make intercession ; and let every blessing be bestowed upon me, which that blood did purchase, and which that great, that infinite Petitioner pleads for at thy right-hand: What canst thou deny thine ownSon ? for he bath told us, that thou heurest him always. For the sake of that Son of thy love, deny us not." Thus I have finished this fifth part of prayer, which consists in pleading with God. SECT. VI. Of Profession, or Self-Dedication. The sixth part of prayer consists in a profession or self-de- dication. This is very seldom mentioned by writers as a part of .prayer ; but to me it appears so very necessary in its nature, and so distinct from all the rest, that it ought to be treated of sepa- rately as well as any other part ; andmay be divided under these four heads : 1. A profession of our relation to God. Anti it is worth while sometimes for a saint to draw near unti, God, and to tell him that he is the Lord's, that he belongs to his family : that he is one of his household : that he stands among the number of his children that his name is written in his covenant : and there is a great deal of spiritual delight, and soul-satisfaction arises from such appeals to God, concerning our relation to him. 2. A profession of our former transactions with God. " Lord, we have given ourselves up unto thee, and chosen thee for our eternal portion, and our highest good : we have seen the insufficiency-of creatures to make us happy, and wehave betaken ourselves to a higher hope; we have beheld Christ Jesus the Saviour in his perfect righteousness, and in his all-sufficient grace; we have put our trust in him, and we have made our covenant with the Father, by the sacrifice of the Son ; we have often drawn near to thee in thine ordinances ; we have ratified and confirmed the holy covenant at thy table, as well as been devoted to thee by the initial ordinance of baptism ; we have. . given up our names to God in his house; and we have as it were subscribed with ottr hands to be the Lord's. 3. A present surrender of ourselves to God, and a pro- fession of the present exercise of our several affections and graces towards him. And this is sweet language in prayer, when the soul is iu a right frame. 0° Lord, I confirm all my former dedications of myself to thee ; and be all my covenant- ings for ever ratified. Or if I -did never yet sincerely give my-
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