Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

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 per haps 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 prayer OF FAITH. 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, revcaled 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?

Here I shall briefly say something to an EXCUSE which some may be ready to make for themselves. Some may be

ready to say, If I do pray, my prayer will not be the prayer of faith, because I am in a natural condition, and have no faith.

ANSWER 1. This excuses not from obedience to a plain command of God. The command is to all to whom the command shall come. God not only directs godly persons to pray, but others also. In the beginning of the second chapter of Proverbs, God directs all persons to cry after wisdom, and to lift up their voices for understanding, in order to their obtaining the fear and knowledge of God; and in James i. 5. the apostle says, "If any man lack wisdom, let him ask it of God;" and Peter directed Simon Magus to repent and pray God, if perhaps the thought of his heart might be forgiven him, Acts viii, 22. Therefore, when God says, do thus or thus, it is not for us to make excuses, but we must do the thing required.

ANSWER 2. God is pleased sometimes to answer the prayers of unbelievers. Indeed he hears not their prayers from any goodness or acceptableness that there is in their prayers, or because of any true respect to him manifested in them, for there is none; nor has he obliged himself to answer such prayers; yet he is pleased sometimes, of his sovereign mercy, to pity wicked men, and hear their cries. Thus he heard the cries of the Ninevites, Jonah chap. iii. So he heard the prayer of Ahab, 1 Kings xxi. 27, 28.

Though there be no regard to God in their prayers, yet God, of his infinite grace, is pleased to have respect to their desires of their own happiness, and to grant their requests. God may, and sometimes does, hear the cries of wicked men, as he hears the hungry ravens, when they cry, Psaim cxlvii. 9. and as he opens his bountiful hand, and satisfies the desires of every living thing, Psalm cxlv. 16. Besides, the prayers of sinners, though they have no goodness in them, yet are made a means of a preparation for mercy.

3. The last us shall be of exhortation. Seeing we have such a prayer hearing God as we have heard, let us be much

employed in the duty of prayer: Let us pray with all prayer and supplication: Let us live pra erful lives, continuing instant in prayer, watching thereunto with all perseverance; praying without ceasing, praying always, and not fainting; and not praying in a dull, cold, and lifeless manner, but wrestling with God in prayer. I shall particularly at this time exhort to two things.

(1.) Let us pray for others, as well as for ourselves. God hath in his word manifested himself to be especially well pleased with hearty intercessory prayers, or prayers for our fellow creatures: 1 Tim. ii. 1, 2, 3. "I exhort, therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, &c.; for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour." It is especially acceptable to God, as such prayers, when sincere, are an expression of a spirit of Christian charity, which is a grace peculiarly becoming Christians, and acceptable to God, as may be seen by what is said of it in 1 Cor. xiii.

(2.) Let us especially be earnest with God in our prayers, for the outpouring of his Spirit both on ourselves and others. We have not such encouragement in scripture to pray for any other blessing, as we have to pray for this blessing. It is the greatest of all mercies; yet God hath given such encouragement to pray for no other mercy, as he hath for this mercy. See Luke xi. 13. "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" Though it be the greatest mercy, yet God is most ready to bestow it of any whatsoever. We ought therefore most earnestly to pray for the outpouring of God's Spirit on our own souls, on others in whom we are particularly concerned, on the people among whom we dwell, and on the whole land and whole earth. We are directed to pray for this with the greatest possible importunity in the forementioned place, Isaiah Ixii. 6, 7. “Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, and give him no rest, till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”

[blocks in formation]

SERMON XIX.*

Great Care necessary, lest we live in some waf

of Sin.

PSALM cxxxix. 23, 24.

SEARCH ME, O GOD, AND KNOW MY HEART; TRY ME AND
IF THERE BE ANY
KNOW MY THOUGHTS; AND SEE
WICKED WAY IN ME, AND LEAD ME IN THE WAY
ERLASTING.

EV

THIS psalm is a meditation on the omniscience of

God, or upon his perfect view and knowledge of every thing, which the Psalmist represents by that perfect knowledge which God had of all his actions, his downsitting and his uprising; and of his thoughts, so that he knew his thoughts afar off; and of his words, "There is not a word in my tongue," says the Psalmist, "but thou knowest it altogether." Then he represents it by the impossibility of fleeing from the divine presence, or of hiding from him; so that if he should go into heaven, or hide himself in hell, or fly to the uttermost parts of the sea; yet he would not be hid from God: Or if he should endeavor to hide himself in darkness, yet that would not cover him; but the darkness and light are both alike to him.

Then he represents it by the knowledge which God had of him while in his mother's womb, verses 15, 16. "My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret;

* Dated September 1733.

« AnteriorContinuar »