the Chaldee Paraphrase renders it) his Hands were ftretched out in Prayer unto the going down of the Sun. Again, when the Angel, in the xxxiid of Genefis, with whom Jacob wreftled, (who, indeed, as the ancient Fathers do unanimoufly conclude, was no other than the Angel of the Covenant, the Son of God, that did in the Fulnefs of Time appear in Human Flefh) I fay, this Angel would have been gone from him upon the Breaking of the Day: No, faith Jacob, I will not let thee go unless thou bless me and accordingly a Bleffing he obtain'd Earneft Prayer doth a Kind of Violence to God, if we may be allowed fo to speak; As a Prince (faith the Angel there to Facob) baft thou Power with God and with Man, and haft prevailed.

Again, when God was fo grievously dif pleafed at the People of Ifrael for making the Golden Calf, faith he to Mofes, Let me alone that I may deftroy this People, and blot out their Name from under Heaven; intimating, that if Mofes by Prayer interceded for them, he would prevent their Destruction; and this indeed the Event fhewed; for notwithstanding what God had before faid of his Purpose to deftroy them, yet upon Mofes's Prayer he repented of the Evil, and was prevailed upon to fpare them. Lastly, How prevalent the Prayers of good Men are with God appears from this, that when

God

God is abfolutely refolved not to haye mercy upon a People, he expreffeth his unalterable Purpose to this effect, that though his chiefeft Favourites, fuch as Noah, and Daniel, and Job, fhould intercede with him on behalf of that People, yet their Prayers fhould do them no good, as you have it four times repeated in the 14th Chapter of Exekiel Which is as much as to say, that if any thing in the World could prevail with God to spare that People, it should be the Prayers of fuch Men.

But, Fourthly and Laftly, to conclude,

Let it be farther confidered for the fhewing the Efficacy of Prayer, that the Scriptures have declared it fo neceffary in order to the obtaining the good Things we stand in need of, that if we do not pray for them, we shall not have them.

This is fufficiently evident from that Paffage in St. James, Chap. iv. ver. 2. Ye luft (faith he) and have not, ye kill and defire to have, and cannot obtain, ye fight and war, and yet ye have not, and why fo? because (faith he) ye ask not. That is to fay, all your coveting and envying, and fighting and contending, bring you in no kind of Profit, you are never a whit by these Means the nearer the obtaining what you defire, and the Reason is because praying to God, which is the chiefeft Means of obtaining, is not practifed by you.

VOL. IV.

E

All

All these Things confider'd, I think every Man in the World, that hath any Senfe of Religion, muft needs be convinced that ferious and folemn Prayer is not only of great ufe, but of abfolute neceflity for the obtaining what we want; that there is no profpering in our Affairs without it, and when it is put up devoutly, and heartily, and in that manner it ought to be, it never fails to bring down the Bleffing of Heaven upon us.

I should now proceed to the Third Head propofed to difcourfe of, and that is of the Requifites or Conditions of Prayer, that we must take care to obferve, if we would have our Prayers either acceptable to God, or beneficial to our felves; but this I fhall referve for another Time. Now to God, &c.

SERMON

SERMON III.

MATTH. VII. 7.

Ask, and it shall be given you, feek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

1

T

高樓

HIS Text is a Part of our Savi

our's famous Sermon on the Mount,

which may be justly called

a

Summary of all Chriftian Duties.

In these Words he is treating of the great Christian Inftrument of obtaining from God whatever we ftand in need of, and that is hearty Prayer to him. He had delivered to his Difciples in the former Chapter, a Form of Prayer for them to use, and now he comes to recommend and enforce the conftant Practice of that Duty, by giving them Affurance that if they did practise it, they should not fail of having their Requefts granted, and being fupplied with every thing they stood in need of.

;

A great and unfpeakable Comfort this is, to be able at all times certainly to fay, whatever is fit for me, it shall be given me, if I do but ask it, if I do but feek it, if I do but knock at the Gate of Mercy for it. And yet this every Christian may fay, if our Saviour's Affirmation may be relied be relied on; for Words cannot be contriv'd to exprefs more plainly, or more ftrongly, the conftant never-failing Efficacy of hearty Prayer, than thefe are which our Saviour here delivers Ask, faith he, and it shall be given you, seek, and ye fball find, knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Which Promife of his, for the further poffeffing our Minds with a stedfast Belief of it, he repeats again in the next Verse by way of an universal Propofition; for every one that asketh, receiveth, and he that feeketh, findeth, and to him that knocketh, it fhall be opened; and the more to enforce this, he doth in the next Words put the Cafe of an ordinary Father, who tho' he may be supposed to be otherwife a churlifh or unkind fort of Man, yet if his Son, when he is an hungry, should ask Bread of him, he could not be thought fo hard-hearted as to give him a Stone for Bread, or a Serpent for a Fish; If, therefore, as our Saviour infers, we that are evil know how to give good Gifts unto our Children, when they ask us; how much more will our heavenly Father, (who has nothing of Evit or Churlishness in his Nature, but is perfect