EVery one that afketh, receiveth; and he that feeketh, findeth and to him that knocketh, it fhall be opened, Mat. vii. 8. : Prayer is always heard after one Manner or another, when Faith afks, feeks, and knocks. She, alone, obtains ALL which she asks; because the, alone, as what the ought; and That in a right Manner, and for a good End.The Way never to be refused, is never to defire any Thing but the Will of God. Every one who Thee believes, Thou art the Door: I knock at Thee To be redeem'd from Sin; And foon thy Heart fhall open'd be And triumph with thy Lord, WHAT Man is there of you, who, if his Son ask Bread, will he give him a Stone? Mat. vii. 9. 2. With We have no Right to ask any Thing of God, but only. 1 Under the Quality of Children, and as Members of his Son. the Heart of Children, or a filial Love. 3. Neceffaries, as Bread --- Thou art, O my God, both the Father, and the Bread of Life to our Souls. Give thy felf to us, Thee and thy Son Jefus Chrift the Bread of Heaven.---How many Times, Lord, have we afked of thee a Stone, namely, the good Things of the Earth, which would only have formed in us an Heart of Stone? and Thou hast been pleased to give us the Bread of thy Grace, of thy Word, and of thy Son. The living Bread fent down from Heav'n B Now Lord on us thy Flesh bestow, And let us drink thy Blood, With all the Life of God: IF a Son afk a Fish, will his Father give him a Serpent, Mat. vii. 10. If he is an unnatural Father, who gives his Children Things hurtful to the Life of the Body: what then is that Perfon who causes them to lofe the Life both of Soul and Body to all Eternity, in poisoning them with Maxims of the World, in giving them the Serpent of Ambition or Covetousness, either by bad Example or otherwife? Thou alone, O my God, art always a Father; and never giveft to thy Children any other than the Gifts of a Father. Let me likewife always fhew my felf a good Child in Prayer, and never ask any Thing but what is worthy of thy paternal Love. Our Souls with pleafing Wonder view And in the Cov'nant of thy Love They find diviner Store. STrait is the Gate, and narrow is the Way, which leadeth unto Life, and few there be that find it. Mat. vii. 14. -- To live, as the Generality of Mankind do, is not to take the Way which leadeth unto Life. He who teaches that the Gate and Way to Life, are wide and broad, when Jefus Chrift fays, they are fo ftrait and narrow, can be no other than a Deceiver. Few find the Way of Heaven, fewer enter into this Way, fewer yet abide in it, fewer ftill walk in it, and fewest of all go forward to the End. As it is thy Grace only, O Lord, which causes us to A find it, fo from That we expect all the Reft. Yet every one that feeks fhall find To fuffer, and abstain, And paffable the Road to Life, With Thee I daily die, Thy welcome Burthen bear, And claim a Kingdom there. Very good Tree bringeth forth good Fruit; but a corrupt Tree bringeth forth evil Fruit. Mat. vii. 17. -Such as is the Will, fuch are the Actions which proceed from it. One important Rule to keep us from Delufion, is to judge of our felves, not by barren Defires, nor by deceitful Tranfports of Devotion, but by our good Works. The good Tree is the good Heart, the good Fruit is a good Life. The Heart is God's, and truly Christian, when the Life is fo. The Heart is the World's, when a Man lives like the World. It is thou, O my God, who pluckest up the corrupt Heart, and who createft, planteft, cultivateft, watereft, and makeft the good One fruitful. Mine is in thine Hand, make it a good Tree, make it thy own Plant. JESUS thy fpeaking Blood From God obtain'd the Grace, On us a longer Space, Then dig about our Root, Break up our Fallow Ground, To thy great Praise abound. |