That Men ought always to pray *: Or, as it is in another Place, that Men pray every where, lifting up holy Hands without Wrath and Doubting +.

In order, therefore, to convince fuch Men of the great Importance of praying frequently to God, and how inexcufable they are if they neglect fo to do, I defire they would go along with me in the following Reflections.

Confider that Prayer is a Duty enjoined us purely for our own Sakes; a Duty, that is neither expensive of our Time, nor of Eftates; no depth of Learning, no Subtilty of Parts is required to the Practice of it; 'tis what the Meaneft as well as the Highest may perform; 'tis fuited to all Perfons and all Conditions; the Miferable and Afflicted, the Profperous and Happy, the Poor and the Rich, the Young and Old, may all pray to God: no Circumftance of Life can incapacitate us for this Duty; it obliges all, for all are the Creatures of God, and depend upon him for all the Comforts and Conveniencies of Life; In him we live, and move, and have our Being; and therefore (as the Pfalmift advifes) we should worship, and fall down, and

Luke xviii. I.

† 1 Tim. ii. 8.

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kneel before the Lord our Maker; and what engages us the more fo to do, is, that God hath been graciously pleased to invite us to this Duty by the most endearing Promises, and annexed invaluable Bleffings to the due Performance of it. He hath declared himfelf to be a God hearing Prayer; and has promised that He will give his Holy Spirit to them that afk it. Our Saviour has affured us, that if we pray to our Father which is in fecret, our Father which feeth in fecret, will reward us openly*; and that whatsoever we afk the Father in his name, he will give it us †. If any of you, fays St. James, lack Wifdom, let him afk of God, that giveth to all Men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it fhall be given him. Nay, fo far has God been pleased to condescend in this Matter, as to appeal even to Men themselves for the Truth of it. What Man is there of you, fays our Saviour, whom if his Son afk Bread, will be give him a Stone? Or, if he ask a Fish, will he give him a Serpent? If ye then being evil, know how to give good Gifts unto your Children, how much more shall your Father which is in Heaven give good Things to them that afk him? As if he

* Matt. vi. 6.

+ John xvi. 23. ↑ Jam. i. 5. Matt. vii. 9, 10, 11.

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fhould have faid, Was ever any earthly • Parent deaf to the Wants and Cries of ⚫ his Children: And if they afked for Food, did he deride their Neceffities, by giving them what it was impoffible they fhould • eat? If ye then that are evil, that is niggardly and covetous, know not how to refift the force of natural Affections, how • much rather ought ye to think, that your Father, which is in Heaven, who fees, and knows, and pities all your Wants; He that is Goodnefs itfelf, who delights in communicating the Effects of that Goodness, and whofe Love exceeds the Kindness of the moft tender Parent! how much rather, I fay, ought ye to think, that fuch a Father will be ready to hear the Prayers of his Children that • call upon Him? It is certain, and you

may be affured, that he will hear them, • and give good Gifts unto them that afk • him. But he has made our asking of them one Condition of our receiving them from him.

And now, what higher Motives can we wish for, to excite our Performance of any Duty, than we have for this? What can we defire more to encourage our Addreffes to God by Prayer, than to be affured, That

he

he will hear us? He who is the Lord of Heaven and Earth, whofe Goodness as well as Power is infinite, and who is as willing as he is able, to relieve our Wants? O the mighty Power of Prayer! who would ever be a Stranger to it? Who that confidered the Excellency of Prayer, and what an Instrument it is of our Happiness both here and hereafter, would either neglect it, or be remifs or carelefs in the Performance of it? 'Tis the highest Privilege we are capable of in this life; by this we converse with God, and have an Intercourse with Heaven. Prayer is a never-ceafing Spring of Comfort, where we are invited to taste freely, and from whence proceeds fuch pleafant Streams as will refresh the Soul in alt the Troubles and Calamities of Life. Is any among you afflicted? fays St. James let him pray. This was the conftant Practice of the Pfalmift, and from his own Experience he has taught us what mighty Advantages attend it. When I am in Trouble, fays he, I will call upon thee, O Lord, for thou heareft me. And in another Place, I fought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my Fears. In my Diftrefs I called upon the Lord, and cried

Jam v. 13.

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+ Pfal. xxxiv. 4.

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unto my God; He heard my Voice out of his Temple, and my Cry came before him, even into his Ears*. Indeed, there is nothing in the World seems fo prevalent with God, as the fervent Prayer of a righteous Man: We are told by St. James, that it availeth much, when offered up in behalf of others; and to be fure, 'tis of no lefs Force, when our own Wants are the Subject of it.

Not that we are to conclude from hence, that all the Prayers, even of a righteous Man, fhall immediately be anfwered by God: No, there may be many wife Reafons why God may fee fit to deny what we afk, or at leaft defer the granting it, as, for the Trial of our Faith, or for the Exercife of fome Virtue in us; or becaufe we are not yet fit for the Bleffing we defire; or that we afk for what he fees would be hurtful to us, or the like.. And therefore, we must not understand the Promifes which are made to Prayer, in an abfolute, but a limited Senfe; that is, that when we and our Prayers have thofe Qualifications which are neceffary. to make them acceptable to God, he will give us what we ask for, if he fees it fit for us: I fay, fit for us; because we may (and I doubt, from a

* Pfal. xviii. 6.

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