at the altar, having a golden censor; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar, which is before the throne. And the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God, out of the angel's hand."

This was typified of old by the priest's offering incense in the temple, at the time when the multitude of the people were offering up their prayers to God; as Luke i. 10. "And the whole multitude of the people were praying without, at the time of incense."

APPLICATION.

I. Hence we may learn, how highly we are privileged, in that we have the Most High God revealed to us, who is a God that heareth prayer. The greater part of mankind are destitute of this privilege; they are ignorant of this God; the gods whom they worship are not prayer hearing gods. Whatever their necessities are, whatever calamities or sorrows they are the subjects of, if they meet with grievous and heavy afflictions, wherein they cannot help themselves, and man is unable to help them, they have no prayer hearing God to whom they may go. If they go to the gods whom they worship, and cry to them ever so earnestly, it will be in vain. They worship either lifeless things, that can neither help them, nor know that they need help; or wicked cruel spirits, who are their enemies, and wish nothing but their misery, and who, instead of helping them, are from day to day working their ruin, and watching over them, as an hungry lion watches over

his prey.

How are we distinguished from them, in that we have the true God made known to us; a God of infinite grace and mercy; a God full of compassion to the miserable, who is ready to pity us under all our troubles and sorrows, to hear our crics, and give us all that relief which we need; a God who delights in mercy, and is rich to all that call upon him! How highly privileged are we, in that we have the holy word of

this same God, to direct us how to come to him, and seek mercy of him! And whatever difficulties or distress we are in, we may go with confidence and great encouragement to him with all our difficulties and complaints. What a comfort may this be to us! And what reason have we to rejoice in our own privileges, highly to prize them, and to bless (od that he hath been so merciful to us, as to give us his word, and reveal himself to us; and that he hath not left us to cry for help to stocks, and stones, and devils, as he has left many thousands of others!

OBJECTION. I have often prayed to Cod for these and those mercies, and God has not heard my prayers.

To this I shall answer several things.

(1.) It is no argument, that God is not a prayer hearing God, if he give not to men what they ask of him, to consume upon their lusts. Oftentimes, when men pray for these and those temporal good things, they desire them chiefly to gratis fy their lusts. They desire them for no good end, but only to gratify their pride or sensuality. They pray for worldly good things chiefly from a worldly spirit: It is because they make too much of an idol of the world; and if so, it is no wonder that God doth not hear their prayers: James iv 3. "Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask amiss, to consume it upon your lusts."

It is no argument that God is not a prayer hearing God, that he will not grant your request, when you ask him to give you something of which you will make an idol, and set it up in opposition to him; or that he will not hear you, when you ask of him these and those things to use as weapons of warfare against him, or as instruments to serve his enemies. No wonder that God will not hear you, when you pray for silver, or gold, or wool, or flax, to offer them to Baal. If God should hear such prayers, he would act as his own enemy, in as much as he would bestow on his enemies the things which they desire out of ennuity against him, and to use against him as his enemies, and to serve his enemies.

(2.) It is no argument that God is not a prayer hearing God, that he heareth not insincere and unbelieving prayers. How can we expect that God should have any respect to that which ́has no sincerity in it? God looketh not at words, but at the heart; and it is fit that be should do so. If men's prayers be not hearty, if they pray only in words, and not in heart, what are their prayers good for? And why should that God who searches the heart and tries the reins have any respect to them?

Sometimes men do nothing but dissemble in their prayers; and when they do so, it is no argument that God is ever the less a prayer hearing God, that he doth not hear such prayers; for it is no argument of want of mercy. Sometimes men pray for that in words which they really desire not in their hearts. Sometimes men pray to God that he would purge them from sin, when at the same time they show by their practice that they do not desire to be purged from sin, but love sin, and choose it, and are utterly averse to parting with it. So they will pray for other spiritual blessings, of which they have no real desire. In like manner they often dissemble in the pretence and show, which they make in their prayers, of a dependence on God for mercies, and of a sense of his sufficiency to supply them. In our coming to God, and praying to him for such and such things, there is a show that we are sensible that we are dependent on him for them, and that he is sufficient to give them to us. But men sometimes seem to pray, who are not sensible of their dependence on God, nor do they think him to be sufficient to supply them. For some things that they go to God for, they all the while trust in themselves; and for other things they have no confidence in God.

Another way in which men often dissemble is, in seeming to pray and to be supplicants in words, when in heart they pray not, but challenge and demand. They show in words as though they were beggars; but in heart they come as creditors, and look on God as their debtor. In words they seem to ask these and those things as the fruit of free grace; but in heart they account it would be hard, unjust, and cruel, if

God should deny them. In words they seem humble and submissive, but in heart they are proud and contentious; there is no prayer but in their words.

It doth not render God at all the less a prayer hearing God, that he distinguishes, as an all seeing God, between real prayers and pretended ones. Such prayers as those which I have just now been mentioning, are not worthy of the name of prayers; and they are so accounted in the eyes of him who searches the heart, and sees things as they are. Nor would men account such things to be prayers, any more than the talk of a parrot, that knows not what it says, were it not that they judge by the outward appearance.

All prayer that is not the prayer of FAITH, is insincere ; for prayer is a show or manifestation of dependence on God, and trust in his sufficiency and mercy. Therefore, where this trust or FAITH is wanting, there is no prayer in the sight of God. And however God is sometimes pleased to grant the requests of those who have no FAITH, yet he has not obliged himself so to do; nor is it an argument of his not being a prayer hearing God, when he hears them not.

(3.) It is no argument that God is not a prayer hearing God, that he exercises his own wisdom as to the time and manner of answering prayers. Some of God's people are sometimes ready to think, that God doth not hear their prayers, because he doth not answer them at the times when they expected; · when indeed God doth hear them and will answer them, in the time and way to which his own wisdom directs.

The business of prayer is not to direct God, who is infinitely wise, and needs not any of our directions, who knows what is best for us ten thousand times better than we, and knows what time and what way are best. It is fit that God should answer prayer, as an infinitely wise God, in the exercise of his own wisdom, and not ours. God will deal as a father

But a child is not to ex

with us, in answering our requests. pect that the father's wisdom will be subject to his; nor ought he to desire it, but should esteem it a privilege, that the parent who takes care of him, and provides for him, is wiser than he, and will provide for him according to his own wisdom.

As to particular temporal blessings for which we pray, it is no argument that God is not a prayer hearing God, that he bestows them not upon us; for it may be that God sees the things for which we pray not to be best for us. If so, it would be no mercy in him to bestow them upon us, but a judgment. Such things, therefore, ought always to be asked with submission to the divine will.

But God can answer prayer, though he bestow not the very thing for which we pray. He can sometimes better answer the lawful desires and good end we have in prayer another way. If our end be our own good and happiness, God can perhaps better answer that end in bestowing something else than in the bestowment of that very thing which we ask. And if the main good we aim at in our prayer be attained, our prayer is answered, though not in the bestowment of the individual thing which we ask: And so that may still be true which was asserted in the doctrinal part, viz. that God always hears the frayer of FΑΙΤΗ. God never once failed of hearing a sincere and believing prayer; and those promises for ever hold good, "Ask, and ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you: For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."

2. The second use may be, of reproof to those that neglect the duty of prayer.. If we enjoy so great a privilege as to have the true God, who is a prayer hearing God, revealed to us, how great will be our folly and inexcusableness, if we neglect the privilege, make no use of it, and deprive ourselves of the advantage of it, by not seeking this God by prayer. They are hereby reproved who neglect the great duty of secret prayer, which is more expressly required in the word of God than any other kind of prayer. What account can those persons give of themselves, who neglect so known a duty? It is impossible that any among us should be ignorant of this command of God. How daring, therefore, is their wickedness, who live in the neglect of this duty, if any such there be among us! And what can they answer to their Judge, when he shall call them to an account for it?