V. SERM. truth and fidelity are engaged in their behalf; seeing he very often hath declared and promised, that in all matters, and upon all occafions, he will be ready to bless them. Deut. xxviii. 2. XXX. 9. 1, 2. xci. 1. 11. 5. 18.) X. To conclude; It is an infinite advantage of upPf. cxxviii. right dealing, that at the last iffue, when all things fhall xxxiv. 9, be moft accurately tried and impartially decided, a man is 10. lxxxiv. affured to be fully juftified in it, and plentifully rewarded Matt. vi. 33. for it. As then all the deceits, which now pass under Ecclef. viii. fpecious masks, shall be laid bare; all varnish of pretence Prov.xxviii. fhall be wiped off; all perverse intrigues fhall be unra10. 20. X. 6. velled; all wicked and bafe intentions fhall be quite (Prov. xi. ftripped of the veils which now enfold them; all fhrewd contrivers and engineers of mischief, all practisers of unjuft and malicious guile, fhall be exposed to fhame, shall lie down in forrow: fo then the righteous man fhall Stand in great boldness; his case will be rightly stated, and fully cleared from flanderous afperfions, from odious furmises, from unlucky prejudices and mistakes: what he hath done shall be approved; what he hath fuffered shall be repaired. So that it then evidently will appear, that upright fimplicity is the deepest wisdom, and perverse craft the meereft shallowness; that he who is true and juft to others, is most faithful and friendly to himself; that whoever doth abuse his neighbour, is his own greatest cheater and foe. Rom. ii. 16. For, In the day when God fhall judge the fecrets of men by Jefus Chrift, every man's work fhall be made manifeft. 1 Cor. iii. The Lord will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifeft the counfels of the hearts; and then Shall every man have praise of God. Unto which our up 13. iv. 5. 17. 1 Tim. i. right Judge, the King eternal, immortal, invifible, the only wife God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. SERMON VI. OF THE DUTY OF PRAYER. 1 THESS. V. 17. Pray without ceafing. It is the manner of St. Paul in his Epiftles, after that he SERM. hath difcuffed fome main points of doctrine or discipline, (which occafion required that he should clear and settle,) to propose several good advices and rules, in the observance whereof the life of Chriftian practice doth confist. So that he thereby hath furnished us with so rich a variety of moral and spiritual precepts, concerning special matters, fubordinate to the general laws of piety and virtue ; that out of them might well be compiled a body of ethics, or system of precepts de officiis, in truth and in completeness far excelling those which any philosophy hath been able to devife, or deliver. These he rangeth not in any formal method, nor linketh together with strict connection, but freely scattereth them, fo as from his mind (as out of a fertile foil, impregnated with all feeds of wisdom and goodness) they did aptly spring up, or as they were fuggefted by that holy Spirit which continually guided and governed him. Among divers fuch delivered here, this is one, which fhall be the subject of my prefent difcourfe; the which, having no other plain coherence (except by affinity of matter) with the rest inclofing it, I fhall confider abso VI. SERM. lutely by itself, endeavouring somewhat to explain it, and VI. to urge its practice. Pray without ceafing. For understanding these words, let us first confider what is meant by the act enjoined, praying; then, what the qualification or circumstance adjoined, without ceafing, doth import. 1. The word prayer doth, in its usual latitude of acception, comprehend all forts of devotion, or all that part of religious practice, wherein we do immediately address ourfelves to God, having by fpeech (oral or mental) a kind of intercourfe and conversation with him. So it includeth that praise which we should yield to God, implying our due esteem of his most excellent perfections, most glorious works, moft juft and wife difpenfations of providence and grace; that thanksgiving whereby we fhould exprefs an affectionate refentment of our obligation to him for the numberless great benefits we receive from him; that acknowledgment of our entire dependence upon him, or our total subjection to his power and pleafure; together with that profeffion of faith in him, and avowing of fervice to him, which we do owe as his natural creatures and fubjects; that humble confeffion of our infirmity, our vilenefs, our guilt, our misery, (joined with deprecation of wrath and vengeance,) which is due from us as wretched men, and grievous finners; that petition of things needful or convenient for us, (of fupply in our wants, of fuccour and comfort in our diftreffes, of direction and affiftance in our undertakings, of mercy and pardon for our offences,) which our natural ftate (our poor, weak, fad, and finful state) doth engage us to seek; that interceffion for others, which general charity or special relation do require from us, as concerned or obliged to defire and promote their good. All these religious performances prayer, in its larger notion, doth comprise; according whereto- in common use the whole body of divine fervice, containing all such acts, is termed prayer; and temples, confecrated to the performance of all holy duties, are ftyled houses of prayer; and that brief directory, or pregnant form of all devotion, which our Lord dictated, is called his prayer: and in numberless places SERM, of Scripture it is fo taken. In a stricter sense, it doth only fignify one particular act among those, the petition of things needful or useful for us. VI. But according to the former more comprehenfive meaning, I choose to understand it here; both because it is most commonly fo used, (then, especially, when no diftinctive limitation is annexed, or the nature of the fubject matter doth not restrain it,) and because general reasons do equally oblige to performance of all these duties in the manner here prescribed: nor is there any ground to exclude any part of devotion from continual ufe; we being obliged no less inceffantly to praise God for his excellencies, and thank him for his benefits, to avow his fovereign majesty and authority, to confefs our infirmities and mifcarriages, than to beg help and mercy from God. All devotion therefore, all forts of proper and due addrefs to God, (that wara goreux, all prayer and fup- Eph. vi. 18. plication, which St. Paul otherwhere fpeaketh of) are here enjoined, according to the manner adjoined, without ceafing, adaλeinтws, that is, indefinently, or continually. 2. For the meaning of which expreffion, we must suppose, that it must not be understood as if we were obliged in every inftant or fingular point of time actually to apply our minds to this practice; for to do thus is in itself impoffible, and therefore can be no matter of duty; it is inconfiftent with other duties, and therefore must not be practifed; yea, will not confift with itself; for, that we may pray, we must live; that we may live, we must eat; that we may eat, we must work; and must therefore attend other matters: so that actual devotion neither must nor can swallow up all our time and care. The deliberate operations of our mind are sometimes interrupted by fleep, fometimes will be taken up in fatisfying our natural appetites, fometimes must be spent in attendance upon other reasonable employments, commanded or allowed by God; whence there can be no obligation to this prac SERM. tice according to that unlimited interpretation. VI. This precept therefore (as divers others of a like general purport and expreffion) must be understood not in a natural, but moral fenfe, according as the exigence of things permitteth, or as the reason of the cafe requireth; so far as it is conveniently practicable, or as it is reasonably compatible with other duties and needs. But we must not so restrain it as to wrong it, by pinching it within too narrow bounds. How then it may be understood, and how Scripturæ far it fhould extend, we fhall endeavour to declare by nem. Tert. propounding divers senses whereof it is capable, grounded upon plain teftimonies of Scripture, and enforcible by good reafon; according to which senses we shall together prefs the observance thereof. Adoro plenitudi 10. Ut quamvis cantor ta eft, &c. I. First then, praying incessantly may import the maintaining in our fouls a ready difpofition or habitual inclination to devotion; that which in Scripture is termed Zech, xii. the spirit of fupplication. This in moral esteem, and according to current language, derived thence, amounteth to a continual practice; a man being reckoned and faid to do that, to which he is ever prompt and propense: as Pf. xxxvii. it is faid of the righteous man, that he is ever merciful, 26. and lendeth, because he is conftantly disposed to supply tacet Her- his neighbour with needful relief; although he doth not mogenes, ever actually dispense alms, or furnish his neighbour with men æque fupplies for his neceffity. The words may fignify this; they do at least by confequence imply fo much for if we do not in this, we can hardly perform the duty in any fenfe; without a good temper fitting, and a good appetite prompting to devotion, we scarce can or will ever apply ourselves thereto. If there be not in our heart a root of devotion, whence fhould it spring? how can it live, or thrive? If the organs of prayer are out of kelter, or out 1 Pet. i. 13. of tune, how can we pray? If we be not accincti, have not the loins of our mind girt, and our feet fhod in preparaEph. vi. 14. tion to the fervice, when fhall we fet forward thereto? Pf. cviii. 1. My heart, faid David, is fixed, I will fing and give praise : xxx. 19. fixed, that is, readily prepared, and steadily inclined to devotion. So fhould ours conftantly be. As a true Hor. Luke xii. 35. (2 Chron. Ezr. vii. 10.) |