he will bear us? He who is the Lord of Heaven and Earth, whofe Goodness as well as Power is infinite, and who is as willing as he is able, to relieve our Wants? O the mighty Power of Prayer! who would ever be a Stranger to it? Who that confidered the Excellency of Prayer, and what an Inftrument it is of our Happiness both here and hereafter, would either neglect it, or be remifs or careless in the Performance of it? 'Tis the highest Privilege we are capable of in this Life; by this we converfe with God, and have an Intercourfe with Heaven. Prayer is a never-ceafing Spring of Comfort, where we are invited to tafte freely, and from whence proceeds fuch pleafant Streams as will refresh the Soul in all the Troubles and Calamities of Life. Is any among you afflicted? fays St. James let him pray. This was the conftant Practice of the Pfalmift, and from his own Experience he has taught us what mighty Advantages attend it. When I am in Trouble, fays he, I will call upon thee, O Lord, for thou hearest me. And in another Place, I fought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my Fears †. In my Diftrefs I called upon the Lord, and cried * Jam. v. 13. B 4 + Pfal. xxxiv. 4. * unto unto my God; He heard my Voice out of his Temple, and my Cry came before him, even into his Ears*. Indeed, there is nothing in the World feems fo prevalent with God, as the fervent Prayer of a righteous Man: We are told by St. James, that it availeth much, when offered up in behalf of others; and to be fure, 'tis of no lefs Force, when our own Wants are the Subject of it. Not that we are to conclude from hence, that all the Prayers, even of a righteous Man fhall immediately be answered by God: No, there may be many wife Reafons why God may fee fit to deny what we ask, or at least defer the granting it, as, for the Trial of our Faith, or for the Exercife of fome Virtue in us; or because we are not yet fit for the Bleffing we defire; or that we ask for what he fees would be hurtful to us, or the like. And therefore, we must not understand the Promifes which are made to Prayer, in an abfolute, but a limited Senfe; that is, that when we and our Prayers have thofe Qualifications which are neceffary to make them acceptable to God, he will give us what we afk for, if he fees it fit for us: I fay, fit for us; because we may (and I doubt, from a Pfal. xviii. 6, Fond Fondness for the Things of this Life, or through Ignorance too often do) afk for fuch Things as it may be great Mercy in God to deny us. In order, therefore, that our Prayers may be acceptable to God, three Things are to be confidered: it, the Qualifications of the Perfon praying: 2dly, The Matter of our Prayers: And 3dly, The Manner of them. First, The Qualifications of the Person praying. 1. He that would pray fo as to be heard of God, muft lift up holy Hands, and a pure Heart. He must not bring with him any unrepented Sins; but as God fpeaks by the Prophet Isaiah upon the like Occafion, He must put away the Evil of his Doings. -He must ceafe to do Evil, and learn to do well *. Or as St. Peter advises, Let him efchew Evil, and do Good; for, as it follows in the next Verfe, The Eyes of the Lord are over the Righteous, and his Ears are open unto their Prayers: But the Face of the Lord is against them that do Evilt, And to the fame Purpose, fays Solomon, The Sacrifice of the Wicked is an Abomination to the Lord, but the Prayer of the Upright is his Delight. If I incline unto Ifai, i, 16, 17. +1 Pet. iii. 11, 12, PIOV. xv. 8. Wicked B 5 Wickedness in my Heart, fays Holy David, the Lord will not hear me*. Indeed, there is nothing more evident from the whole Scope of the Scriptures, than that God keareth not wilful and impenitent Sinners; but if any Man be a Worshipper of God, and doth his Will, him he heareth†; as the blind Man that was restored to Sight by our Saviour told the Pharifees. In fhort, Sin is the most hateful Thing in the Sight of God, and therefore till a Man is come to a Senfe of his paft Offences, and is not only ferry for having offended God, but refolved by his Grace to amend for the future, he can never be faid to be in a fit Difpofition to pray; but as this is the loweft Conception we can have of the Quali fication I am fpeaking of, a Man must not ftop here, he must put thofe good Refolu tions in Practice, having always in view this Confideration, "That the greater At"tainments any one makes in a holy Life, "the more acceptable will his Prayers be "in the Sight of God.” 2. A fecond Qualification refpecting the Perfon praying, is Charity or Love; and that is fo neceffary, that though we should pray with the Tongues of Men and Angels, * Pfal. lxvi. 18, + John ix. 31. and and have not this Qualification, it would be to no Purpose; our Prayers would be but like founding Brafs or a tinkling Cymbal, empty and infignificant Sounds. There is nothing fo contrary to the Nature of God, nothing fo wide of the true Spirit of a Chriftian, as Bitterness and Wrath, Malice and Envy: And therefore it is vain to think, that ever our Prayers can be acceptable to the God of Love, till we have put on, as the Elect of God, Bowels of Mercies, Kindnefs, Humbleness of Mind, Meeknefs, LongSuffering, forbearing one another, and forgiv ing one another, as St. Paul commands. 3. A third Qualification is Faith. If any of you lack Wifdom, fays St. James, let him afk of God, but let him afk in Faith, nothing wavering. Not that we are to understand by this, that we must never offer up our Prayers to God but with a firm Belief, that what we pray for fhall immediately be granted us. No; all that is required of us in this Matter, is to come to the Throne of God with an humble Confidence in his Mercy, affuredly believing that God is the hearer of Prayer, and that He is infinitely good and wife, and will deny |