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as they found. We are not to have fuch unworthy Thoughts of God, as to believe that he has obliged himself to answer all the most foolish, the most finful, nay the most contradictory Petitions of all Men, or their Prayers of any kind, if they do but put up their Requests with their Mouth, though perhaps they never ferioufly think of them with their Hearts. No; though the Promife is here fet down in few and general Words, it must be understood with those particular Explications and Restrictions which are mentioned in the Context, and other parallel Paffages of the holy Scripture, which I shall therefore endeavour to lay together, and to open the Reason of them, that our Saviour's Meaning as to this Promise may not be misunderstood or perverted. Now, for Memory's fake, the Explications of this Promise may be reduced to these four Sorts: 1. The right Qualifications of the Perfons that pray. 2. The Matter of our Prayer, or the Things we pray for. 3. The Manner of our praying or afking. 4. The Grant of our Prayers or Petitions: Concerning all which I have fomething to offer towards the Explication of this Promise.

1. As to the First, The Qualifications of the Persons that pray. I think we may take it for granted, that the Perfons to whom this Advice is given, are Disciples or Chriftians, ufing their own diligent Endeavour; and therefore what they cannot attain by their own Strength, they are encouraged to attempt by the Ufe of Prayer. This Promise then is only made to Chrift's Difciples, and confequently, only to Believers; and to fuch Believers as diligently make use of their VOL. IV.

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own Endeavours. So that perhaps all that is to be faid of the right Qualifications of the Perfons that pray, may be reduced to these Two, Faith and Practice. First, Faith: And thus the fame Evangelift explains it, Matth. xxi. 22. And all Things whatfoever ye shall ask in Prayer, believing, ye fall receive. So St. James explains the like Promife, Jam. i. 6. For having faid at the preceding Verfe: If any of you lack Wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all Men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him: Which is the very fame with the Promise in my Text: He adds immediately, by Way of Application, But let him ask in Faith, nothing wavering.

Now by Faith requifite in him that prays, there are feveral Things meant, as neceffary to entitle us to this Promise made to Prayer in the Text. As,

1. The Perfon, who trufting in this Promise, puts up his Prayers to God, must believe both his Being, and his Ability, and good Will to grant thofe Things he prays for. He that cometh to God, faith the Apoftle, Heb. xi. 6. must believe that he is, and that he is a Rewarder of them who diligently feek him. This Qualification carries its own Reason along with it; for no Man can be understood to pray to God in good Earneft, if he does not believe him capable of hearing and granting his Requests.

2. Christian Faith implies not only a Belief in God, but a Belief and Truft in the Mediation and Interceffion of Jefus Chrift; for thus Chrift himself explains it, Job. xiv. 13, 14. Whatfoever ye shall ask in my Name, faith he, that will

8. 147 I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son: If ye shall ask any thing in my Name, I will do it. And Job. vi. 24. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my Name; ask, and ye shall receive, that your Foy may be full.

3. Faith implies not only a general Belief in God, and that he is to be addreffed through the Mediation of Jefus Chrift; but likewife a Belief of this particular Promife, that God for Chrift's fake will hear and grant our Prayers, Mark xi. 24. What Things foever ye defire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, (or, as fome other Readings have it, believe that ye shall receive them,) and ye fball have them. It is indeed a very unreasonable Thing for any Man to claim Benefit by a Promife to which he himself gives no Credit.

4. By Faith in the praying Perfon, is not only implied, that he believes Prayer is a proper Means to obtain of God the good Things he wants; but likewife that there is no obtaining of them without it. What I mean is this, that he who comes to pray to God, fhould come believing that it is not in his own Power, by any Skill, Contrivance, or Endeavour of his own, to procure to himself those good Things he prays for; and therefore that he is to depend entirely on God for them, by this Means of Prayer; according to the Advice of the Wife Man, Prov. iii. 5. Truft in the Lord with all thine Heart; and lean not to thine own Understanding: in all thy Ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy Paths. And according to the excellent Advice of his Father David, 1 Chron. xxviii. 9. And thou Solomon my Son, know thou the God of thy Father, and ferve him with a perfect Heart, and

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[SERM. and with a willing Mind: for the Lord fearcheth all Hearts, and understandeth all the Imaginations of the Thoughts: if thou feek him, he will be found of thee: but if thou for fake him, he will caft thee off for ever.

So much for Faith, the firft Qualification required in him that prays to God, and expects the Benefit of the Promife in my Text.

Next follows Practice, the other Qualification requifite in him that prays to God; which imports, that in good Earnest he use his true Endeavour to obtain thofe good Things which he prays for. This I fhall likewise branch out into fome more particular Rules.

1. There must be a general Care and Endeavour to comply with all God's Commandments. 1 Job. iii. 22. Whatfoever we ask, we receive of him; because we keep his Commandments, and do thofe Things that are pleafing in his Sight. If we are either in general negligent of our Lives and Conversations; or particularly, if we indulge ourselves in the Practice of any known Sin, without ftriving earneftly to get rid of it, we have no Reason to expect that God will grant our Requests in Prayer, Prov. xxviii. 9. He that turneth away his Ear from hearing the Law, even his Prayer fhall be abomination. And Prov. xv. 8. The Sacrifice of the Wicked is an Abomination to the Lord; but the Prayer of the Upright is his Delight.

2. We must not prefume to go to God in Prayer, being confcious to ourselves of having committed any known Sin, without repenting particularly of it. If we carry any fuch Idol in our Bofom, it will be like Achan's accurfed

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Thing, and will deprive us of the Bleffing we might otherwise expect from our Prayers. 1 John iii. 21. Beloved, if our Heart condemn us not, then have we Confidence towards God, and whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his Commandments. And the Pfalmift lays it down as a Rule, Pfal. lxvi. 18. If I regard Iniquity in my Heart, the Lord will not hear me. And God tells the People of Ifrael, that when they came to pray to him with their bloody Defigns in their Minds, and Actions of Cruelty in their Lives, unrepented of, he would not hear their Prayers: Ija. i. 15. And when ye spread forth your Hands, fays he, I will hide mine Eyes from you: yea, when ye make many Prayers, I will not hear your Hands are full of Blood.

3. Another Inftance of our fincere Endeavour to amend our Lives, to qualify ourselves for Prayer, is, that we muft fet about our Prayers with Hearts free from Malice, and full of Charity to all Men. When ye ftand praying, faith our Saviour, Mark xi. 25. forgive, if ye have ought against any, that your Father alfo which is in Heaven may forgive you your Trefpaffes. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in Heaven forgive you your Trefpaffes. And in another Place of this fame Sermon on the Mount, If thou bring thy Gift to the Altar, and there remembreft that thy Brother bath ought against thee: leave there thy Gift before the Altar, and go thy Way, first be reconciled to thy Brother, and then come and offer thy Gift, Matth. v. 23.

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4. A fourth Branch of this Sincerity is, that whofoever would claim any Benefit from this Promise made to Prayer, muft take Care that

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