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not also plain, that this mult preferve the believer from impropriety; and that it cannot lead to any foolish or indecent familiarity, which is often miftaken for it, and of ten reproached in its room?

What hath been faid upon the fubject, I hope, will point out to you the juft middle between every vicious extreme. Such real concern, fuch fervor of fpirit, will not indeed lead any to ftudy in their prayers a nice, vain, or ornamented style. This is the language of a mind at ease. It is but of little value at any rate: but O how misplaced! O how unfuitable in prayer to God! This is beft carried on by plain and ardent expreffions of the very temper of the foul, when the fulness of the heart gives a ready ut terance to the tongue. But neither will the views which the wrestling believer hath of the glory and majefty of God, of the strictness of his law, and the terror of his wrath, fuffer him to give way to any trifling, flovenly, or ridicu lous manner of addreffing himself to the throne of grace. It must be obferved indeed, that there will be a difference, according to the different circumftances, fstation, and capacity of the perfons concerned. There may be many a ferious Christian, who knows what it is to pour out his heart before God, and fpread his fins and forrows at his feet, who would not be fit for leading the devotion of a public or promifcuous affembly; yet he may be the perfon who, as a prince, hath power with God, and prevails. The prayers of fuch a wreftler, with all the blemishes that attend them, are probably far more effectual, than thofe of fuch over-nice perfons, as defpife the weaknefs of his understanding, or make themselves merry with the homeliness of his ftyle: nay, I must fay further, that we fometimes meet with perfons whofe language in prayer is fo unspeakably fuperior to their abilities or performances of other kinds, as to fhow that they have an unction from the Holy One; and that they are examples of the accomplishment of that promife, Pfal. xxv. 14. "The fecret of "the Lord is with them that fear him and he will fhew "them his covenant."

4. I must conclude the fubject at this time with earneftly exhorting you all to the diligent exercise of this duty.

And that it may be the more distinct and effectual, I shall briefly point out to you the following objects of prayer.

1. Be fervent in prayer for the improvement of the spiritual life in your own fouls. Prayer is at once the fecurity and the comfort of a Chriftian. Hate, fear, prevent as much as in you lieth every thing that may obftruct your regularity and earnestness in this duty.

2. Be earnest in your fupplication, and importunate in your pleading for the church of Christ, and the glory of his kingdom, efpecially in your native country. The character of real Chriftians, in this refpect, is well defcribed by the prophet: If. Ixii. 6, 7. "I have fet watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerufalem, which fhall never hold "their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the "Lord, keep not filence; and give him no reft, till he establish, and till he make Jerufalem a praise in the "earth." The languishing state of religion in this nation, and the threatening aspect of Providence, fhould prefs us to this duty and furely, in proportion as our belief of the truths of the gospel is real and prevalent, we must behold tranfgreffions with grief, and be ready to intercede for a "time of refreshing from the prefence of the Lord."

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3. Be earnest for a feafon for the power of God at this approaching communion. We ferve an all-fufficient and unchangeable God, the fame yesterday, to-day, and for ever, who is able to pour down his Spirit in a large and plentiful measure, and make it a happy time for the efpoufal of many finners to Chrift, and for edifying his faints, that they may go on their way rejoicing, and eat their bread with gladness and fingleness of heart. Let us plead his own promife, If. xliv. 3, 4. "For I will pour water upon him that is thirfty, and floods upon the dry ground: "I will pour my fpirit upon thy feed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: and they fhall fpring up as among "the grafs, as willows by the water-courses."

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4. Pray for the minifters of the gofpel. The apoftles often afk this affiftance of the faithful: Col. iv. 3. "With

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al, praying also for us, that God would open unto us a "door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for "which I am also in bonds." If you believe the efficacy

of prayer, you must be fenfible that your diligence in this refpect will prepare minifters for you, and you for them. This is to point the eye of faith beyond the fervants to the mafter of the feaft; and you will probably both look for and receive your anfwer from himself.

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5. In the last place, I would earneftly recommend to you the exercife of joint and focial conference and prayer. There is great danger of extinguifhing the heavenly flame, if while you are neceffarily furrounded with a flood of ungodly men, you do not often affociate with the excellent ones of the earth, and place your delight there: Malachi, iii. 16. "Then they that feared the Lord, fpake "often one to another, and the Lord hearkened, and "heard it, and a book of remembrance was written be"fore him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name." There is a great advantage in fociety for every purpose. If we know the benefit of united bodies for bufinefs and trade, if we find the pleafure of joining together for mutual entertainment and focial converse, must not as great a benefit refult from a more facred union? Serious perfons, by affociating together, direct each other by their counfels, embolden each other by their examples, and afflift each other by their prayers. There is alfo a particular promife of efficacy to focial prayer: Matth. xviii. 19, 20. "I fay unto you, that if two of "you fhall agree on earth, as touching any thing that they "fhall afk, it fhall be done for them of my Father which is "in heaven. For where two or three are gathered toge"ther in my name, there am I in the midft of them."

Now, may the Lord himself vifit you with his gracious prefence, and make you to say with Jacob at Bethel, Gen. xxviii. 16, 17, "And he faid, Surely the Lord is in this "place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and faid, "How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the "house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."

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FERVENCY AND IMPORTUNITY IN PRAYER.

SERMON 12.

II.

GENESIS xxxii. 26.

And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

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Second fermon on the text.

E proceed now to the second thing propofed in the diftribution of the fubject; which was, To fhow you the duty and reasonableness of wrestling and importunity in prayer. Here I am fenfible, that a corrupt and impatient mind may be able to mufter up objections against it. There is fomething worderful and unfearchable in all the works of God, and in none more, as it is reasonable to fuppofe, than in the methods of his grace. In particular, it may appear furprising that he fhould exercise his people with fuch conflicts and trials, that it fhould be neceflary to overcome him, as it were, by importunity, before we can obtain those bleffings which himfelf hath commanded us to afk, and which he hath promised to bestow. Why, will it be faid, does a God of mercy, and of infinite fullness, to whom all our wants and weaknesses are perfectly known, wait for our prayers, before he will part with what is fo much needed by us? Why doth he, who knoweth our frame, and remembers that we are duft, unneceffarily throw obftructions in our way, and wrap himfelf up in darkness, to difcourage our approach?

But how does this furprise increase, when we confider how unequal we are for the conflict, if no strength but our own is opposed to the Almighty! nay, that our strength for refiftance muft come only from himfelf: fo that he wounds, and he heals; he oppreffes, and he fuftains; he difcourages, and he invites. It is by prayer that we must obtain every bleffing from the Father of lights; and one of the greatest and most necessary of thefe bleffings is the fpirit of prayer itself. My brethren, when either unbelief or profanity moves any fuch difficulties as these, I think it my duty to call upon you, in the first place, to bow your. felves before the fovereignty of God. There is an unfearchable impenetrable depth in the divine wifdom, whether we look upon the works of nature, or of grace. As Creator of the world, he could, no doubt, in a moment, with one word of his power, have raised the whole fabric in perfection; yet it pleased him, in a gradual manner, to finish every part by the addition of another, for the space of fix days. When he gave the first promise to Adam, or when he renewed it to the father of the faithful, he could, no doubt, have fent the Saviour into the world, to finish trans greffion, and make an end of fin; yet he faw it proper to give only diflant intimations of this bleffed period, and to defer the long-expected appearance till the fulness of time, while the nations were fuffered to fit for many ages in darkness, and in the region and fhadow of death. In the fame manner he often takes a great variety of steps with his peo ple before they are made partakers of his promifes.

But notwithstanding that fomething muft ftill remain myfterious, and beyond the comprehenfion of a finite creature, in the management of God, who "giveth not "account of any of his matters," we may fee much propriety and beauty in this part of his procedure. And is it not our duty to attend to it? We may fee the reasona bleness, nay we may perceive the wisdom, of his requiring a holy fervency, wrefiling, and importunity in prayer; for it ferves to engrave upon our hearts, and even to work into our affections, fome of the most important truths of religion, and such as will have the most powerful and extenlive influence upon our temper and practice. This

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