192 The NEW and COMPLETE LIFE of our BLESSED LORD faith (hall come to pals ; he fkall have whatfoever he faith, Mark xi. 22, 23. He alto added, that whatfoever they fhould afk by faith, they fhould receive ; and concluded, by giving them direflions concerning prayer, which was neceffary to increafe the faith he mentioned : And when yeRand praying, forgive, if ye have ought againf any : that your Father alfo which is in heaven, mayforgive you your tref- pap. But ifye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven, for- give your trefpa /s. During our dear Redeemer's continuance in the temple, certain profelyted Greeks, who came up to worfhip at Jerufalem, de- fired to fee him, having long cherifhed expeaations of beholding the promifed Meffiah. Accordingly, they applied to Philip, a native of Bethfaida, who men- tioned it to Andrew, and he told it to JESUS. Upon which our bleffed Saviour told his difciples, that he fhould loon be honoured with the converfion of the Gen- tiles : The hour is come, Paid he, that the Son of manfhould be glorified. But de- clared, that before this glorious event hap- pened, he muff fuffer death; illufirating the neceflity there was of his dying, by the fimilitude of calling grain into the earth : Verily, verily, Ifay unto you, except a çorn of wheat fall into theground, and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringethforth much fruit, John xii. 24. Adding, that Pnce it was abfolutely neceffary for him, their Lord and Matter, to fuffer the pains of death before he afcended the throne of his glory ; fo they, as his followers, muff alfo expel, to be perfecuted and fpitefully ufed for his name -fake ; but if they perfe- vered, and even refolved to lofe their lives in his fervice, he would reward their con- ffancy with a crown of glory. And at the fame time he tacitly infinuated, that the flrangers, if their delire of converfing with him proceeded from an expeEtation of obtaining temporal preferments, would find themfelves greatly difappointed : If any manferve me, let himfollowme; and Cohere z I am, there fhail alfa my, fervant be : if any man ferve me, him gill my Father honour. Thus having furveyed his own fufferings, and propofed them as ;an exasnple to his difciples, the melancholyprofpeffo greatly moved him, that he uttered in a very pa- thetic manner his grief, and addreffed his heavenly Father for fuccour in his diflrefs: Now is myfoul troubled; and what fhall I fay ? Father, lave me from this hour: but for this cauf came I unto this hour. We fhould learn by this example ofour Lord, that prayer is the only method of eafing the mind overwhelmed withdifirefs ; but, at the fame time, to be always refigned to the Divine Will : for, though the weak- nefs of human nature may fhrink when perfecutions or fufferings of any kind ap- pear in all their hideous forms ; yet, by reflefing on the wifdom, goodnefs, and power of God to deliver us, we ought to fupport every trial, however fevere, with patience, as he doubtlefs propofes fame happy end by there affliliions. Our dear Redeemer, having given vent to his melancholy reflefions, and made a Ihort prayer to his heavenly Father, begged of God to demonifrate the truth of his million, by fome token which could not be refilled : Father, glorify thy name. Nor had the great Saviour of mankind hardly uttered there words, before he was anfwered by an audible voice from heaven, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The miracles thou haft already performed have glorified my name ; and, by other miracles to be wrought before the foils of men, I will fill continue to glorify it. This voice was evidently preternatural, refembling thunder in loudnefs, but fufli- ciently articulate to be underflood by thofe who heard our bleffed Saviour pray to his heavenly Father. And JESUS told Isis difciples, that it was not given for Isis fake, but to confirm them in their faith of his million : This voice, Paid he, came not be- caufe ofme, butforyourfakes. It came to confirm what I have told you relating to my
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