Sermon to ask of God, which is fit and law ful in behalf of any perfon, God will certainly grant it upon their requeft. XII. In the fame sense I understand several other Texts, concerning the Efficacy of the Prayers of the Apostles and first Christians, as in a great measure miraculous, and peculiar to the first times of Chriftianity. And I think any man that attentively confiders them,will think that they cannot well be understood otherwife. Such as thefe, Matth. 21. 22. And all things whatfoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. Mark. 11. 24. I fay unto you, what things foever ye defire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye hall have them. John 14. 14. If ye shall ask any thing in my Name, I will do it; and Chap. 15. 17. If ye abide in me, and my Words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it fhall be done unto you. 1 Joh. 3. 22. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him; and Chap. 5. 14, 15. And this is the confidence which we have in him, that if we ask any thing according to his will, he beareth us. And if we know that he bear us, whatsoever we ask, We we know that we have the petitions Volume that we desired of him. These ProXII. mifes I take to contain fomething extraordinary, and peculiar to the firft times of Christianity.And this will appear exceeding probable, if we confider the occafion and circumstances of thefe Promises, which are fo often joyned with the Promife of a miraculous Power, as in the place I mentioned before, Matth 18. 18, 19. where after the Power of binding and loofing, it immediately follows, that if two of you shall agree on earth touching any thing they hall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father, which is in heaven. Matth. 21. 22. and Mark 11. 24. fays our Saviour there to his Difciples; Have Faith in God: for verily Ifay unto you, whofoer or bad Cy to this mountain; be Food, and be thou caft into the jea. aur jball not doubt in his heart, bur jhall believe that those things which he faith fhall come to pass, he shall have whatfoever he faith. And then immediately it follows, Therefore I fay unto you; whatsoever things ye defire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them; that is, what Sermon whatever ye defire of God to do, he fhall miraculously do it, upon your XII. Pay..So likewife John 14.12,13,14. Verily, verily I fay unto you, He that believesh on me, the norks that I do, fhall be do all, and greater works than thefe Shall we do, because I go unto my Father; And has foever ye jhall ask in my Name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my Name, I will do it. Still you fee this extraordinary Efficacy of Prayer is joyned with the Power of Miracles, as one part and branch of it. More particularly, we find the forgiveness of the fins of thofe whom they prayed for, exprefly promifed. 1 John 5. 15. And if we know that he heareth us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we defired of him. And then it follows; If any man fee his brother fin a fin, which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he Shall give him life for the fin that is not unto death. Where forgiveness of fins, upon the Prayers of Christians for one another, is promifed, except in the cafe of a fin unto death, by which is meant Apoftacy from Christianity to to the Heathen Idolatry, which is the Volume reason of the caution which follows; XII. Little children,keepyourselves from Idols. And this extraordinary efficacy of Prayer, we find promifed in a more especial manner to the Elders of the Church, James 5. 14, 15. Is any fick among you? let him call for the Elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall Save the fick, and the Lord fall raife him up and if he have committed fins,they shall be forgiven him. In comparing of all thefe Texts, it feems plain, that both the Power of remitting and retaining fins, and the ftrange efficacy of Prayer, which were promifed to the Apoftles and firft Chriftians, had fomething miraculous and extraordinary in them, and were peculiar to the firft Ages of the Church. I will not be peremptory in these things; but this feems to be the moft genuine and reasonable interpretation of these Texts. Sixthly, Sixthly, And befides these which Sermon I have mentioned, there was likewife XII. a Power of inflicting Corporal Punishments and Diseases upon fcandalous and obftinate Chriftians; which is in Scripture call'd, a delivering men up to Satan, for the deftroying or tormenting of their bodies, that their fouls might be faved at last. And of this kind were thofe Diseases which befell the Corinthians, for their diforderly and irregular carriage at the Sacrament, of which the Apostle fpeaks, 1 Cor. 11. 30. For this caufe many are weak and fickly among you, and many fleep; that is, to fome of them thefe Distempers proved mortal. And we find that this Power did in fome cafes extend to the inflicting of fudden and prefent death; as in the cafe of Ananias and Sapphira. And indeed confidering that Christianity was at firft deftitute of any countenance from the Civil Power, fome fuch Power as this was neceffary, to maintain the Authority of the Apostles against the + |