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and accordingly he hath promifed, before they call I will answer, (fhewing thereby his knowledge of all things) and while they speak I will bear, which alone giveth hope and fanction to our prayers: wherefore, my brethren, let us never miftruft God's goodness; let us not fear to approach the throne of his mercy; let us not foolishly and profanely look for help from any the moft glorious of the faints above; but let us come boldly ourselves, nothing doubting but that God, for Chrift's fake, the fon of his love, will bear us without any other interceffor, and fulfil our wifhes as to all fuch thingsias are moft agreeable to his holy will. This is the fentiment of that pious Father (Chryfoftom); and ..this must we stedfaftly believe, not because be faith it, but because it is the doctrine of our Bieffed Lord himfelf, who hath promised that if we call upon the Father in his name, we shall certainly be heard, both as to our temporal wants, and also for the falvation of our fouls, which he hath purchased for us; not with gold or filver, but with the price of his most precious blood, fhed once for all, upon the crofs, for all who truft in him, and keep his laws; for this is the proof he requires himself of the ftedfaft love we bear unto him.

THIRD PART.

You have now been fhewn unto whom ye ought to direct your prayers on every occafion, viz. to the Great Eternal God of Heaven, and not to faints or angels; HE, on account of his infinite mercy, is always ready to hear us when we call upon him,

with

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with a strue faithful heart; and as he is an allpowerful Being, he can moft easily perform, and bring to pafs, whatever we intreat him to bestow upon us. It has been fhewn you likewife, that to doubt of his power would afford a plain proof of sour want of faith, or being unbelievers, and that we Zabfolutely deny the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, which teacheth that he is all in all and with refpect to his good will towards us, we have the most exprefs teftimony of fcripture, that he will help us, and alfo deliver us, if we call upon him in the time of trouble; fo that for both thefe reasons it behoveth us to prefent our prayers to him, in preference of any other being; and in cafe any fhould faint on account of the confcioufnefs of his being a finner, there is this encouragement held out to fuch, by these words of the prophet David, in the cviith Pfalm, For the Lord is gracious, and merciful, yea bis mercy and goodness endureth for ever. Can we for a Imoment doubt, that he who fent his own Son into the world to fave finners, will not alfo bear; finners, that is provided with a true penitent heart, and lively faith, they pray unto him?for it is almoftfure and comfortable truth, that if we confess our fins, and forfake our evil courfes, God is faithful and just to forgive us our fins, and to cleanfe us from all unrighteoufnefs, as we are plainly taught by the examples of David, Peter, Mary Magdalene, the humble publican, and many others. It hath alfo been further declared to you, that as from our own great unworthiness to approach the throne of grace, we need the aid of fome mediator or interceffor, we should content ourselves with him who is the true and only .mediator of the New Teftament, the Lord-and Savior Jefus Chrift; for as St. John faith, If any men fin we have an advocate with the Father Jefus Chrift the Righteous, and he is the propitiation for our fins: and St. Paul alfo, in his first Epistle to Timothy, affirms, That there is one God, and one mediator between God

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and man, even the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all, to be teftified ing due time. This doctrine being fo far well established, the next particular that feems moft neceffary for our inftruction on this fubject is, to be informed concerning the proper things and perfons for which your prayers fhould ever be offered up to God. Now upon this point, it very much concerns us all, whenever we pray, to confider well, and diligently, with ouffelves, for what and for whom we fupplicate the Almighty God to hear us, left if we afk fuch things as we ought not to defire, our petitions fhould not be granted. The impropriety of all fuch prayers may be illuftrated by the conduct of mere mortals, when they apply to their fupériors for things that are proper to be bestowed upon -them. We have an example of this in the follow-ing story: It is told of a certain king (Agefilaus), -and a very earneft fuitor to him for a favor, that when the latter clofely preffed his fovereign to grant him what he wanted, on being denied his fuit, he ventured to remind the king, that he was encouraged in his request by an abfolute promife from him. To this the king replied, "In truth, if what thou askest were a proper request, then I did truly promife; but as it is otherwife, I only spoke, but did not bind myself to perform." But the man continuing to urge the king ftill more, went even fo far as to affert, that it was incumbent on a king to do what he had given reafon to be expected from him, though he had barely fignified his affent by a nod of his head to this the king made answer, that it would be as unbecoming in a king to grant an improper petition, as it was in a fubject to pre"fume to make one, and with this reproof difmiffed his unreasonable fuitor.

Now if fuch great caution is neceffary when we addrefs an earthly king, how much more careful fhould we be when we fall down before the King of

Heaven,

Heaven, who can only take delight in what is just, and right, and good; nor can poffibly liften to any vain, improper, or unprofitable petitions. For thefe good reasons therefore, it will be highly neceffary for us thoroughly to examine and refolve within ourfelves, what things we may fafely afk of God, without danger of denial or offence; as likewise what fort of perfons we are bound to commend to his protection in our daily prayers. There are two points which should principally be attended to in the petitions of every good and holy perfon; his own real wants, and the glory of Almighty God. Our wants, again, relate either outwardly to the body, or inwardly to the foul.

Now the latter part of man being much more precious than the former, we fhould first implore God's goodness to grant us all fuch things as particularly concern our everlasting welfare as repentance, faith, charity, and a power of acting virtuously, remiffion or pardon of fin, patience in time of trouble, lowlinefs in profperity, and all fuch other fruits of the spirit as tend to adorn the chriftian life; fuch as love, hope, joy, peace, long fuffering, gentlenefs, goodness, meeknefs, and temperance; all which things God doth positively require of them who profefs to be his children, which he confirms by his commandments in the vth of St. Matthew, Let your light fo fbine before men, that they may fee your good works, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven. Again, Seek firft the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all other things fhall be given unto you; by which precepts God inftructs us, that our firft and principal care fhould be for the things that belong to the health and falvation of our fouls; and for this reafon, that they are to laft for ever; for bere, as faith the Apostle, we have no continuing city, but do lock for another in the world to

come.

Now

Now when we have properly prayed for what will profit our immortal part, we may then with a fafe confcience proceed to afk fuch things as are expedient for our bodily welfare; fuch as food, raiment, health, deliverance from troubles, profperity in our daily affairs, and whatever the nature of our particular station requires, qualifying all our petitions with an humble fubmiffion to God's will; and concerning thefe, it is impoffible we can follow a better example, than that of Chrift himself, who taught his disciples and all other chriftians, to pray first for heavenly things, and afterwards for what concerns the world, as is plainly fhewn in the prayer he left his church as a pattern, and which we commonly call; the Lord's Prayer.

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And as to the propriety and wifdom of this conduct, we are abundantly affured of it in the ft book of Kings and iiid chapter, where we read that God appeared by night in a dream to king Solomon, faying, ask what I shall give thee; and Solomon in an humble addrefs to the Almighty, requested an understanding beart, to judge the people that he might difcern between good and bad; what was holy, and what was unrighteous in the fight of the Lord. And we read that the speech pleafed the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing; and God faid unto him, because thou hast asked this thing, and haft not requested for thyself long life, nor riches, nor the deftruction of thine enemies, but has asked for thyself understanding to difcern judgment; behold I have done according unto thy word; lo, I have given thee a wife and understanding heart, fo that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall arise the like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou haft not asked, both riches and honors, fo that there fhall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. Now this example is certainly deferving our moft ferious obfervation, that when Solomon had his choice to afk of God whatever he defired, he was far from asking vain and VOL. I. B b

uncer