his Love, the next reflects it back again with the Heart of a Sinner to him: The Spirit first brings the Report of the Love and Grace of God to us, and then he carries the Love and Refpect of the Heart up to God. You know how God complains in Malachi, If I be a Father, where is my Fear and Honour? For thefe are the only fitting Qualifications of Children, fuch a reverent, respective Obfervance of our heavenly Father, fuch affectionate and humble Carriage towards him, as becometh both his Majefty and his Love: As thefe are tempered one with another in him, his Love not abafing his Majefty, and his Majefty, not diminishing his Love fo we ought to carry, as Reverence and Confidence, Fear and Love, may be contempered one with another; fo as we may neither forget his infinite Greatness, nor doubt of his unfpeakable Love: And this inward Difpofition ingraven on the Heart, will be the Principle of willing and ready Obedience, it will in fome Measure be our Meat and Drink to do our Father'sWill; for Chrift gave us an Example how we fhould carry towards him: How humble and obedient was he, tho' his only begotten Son? SERMON XXXIX. -Whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Verfe 15. As there is a Light of Grace in beflow. ing fuch incomparably high Dignities and excellent Gifts on poor Sinners, fuch as to make them the Sons of God, who were the Children of the Devil, and Heirs of a Kingdom, who were Heirs of Wrath; fo there is a Depth of Wifdoni in the Lord's Allowance and Manner of difpenfing his Love and Grace in this Life; for though the Love be wonderful, that we fhould be called the Sons of God; yet as that Apoftle speaks, It doth not yet fo clearly appear what we shall be, by what we are, 1 John iii. 1. Our prefent Condition is fo unlike fuch a State and Dignity, and our Enjoyments fo unfuitable to our Rights and Privileges, that it would not appear by the mean, low, and indigent State we are now into, that we have fo great and glorious a Father. How many Infirmities are we compaffed about with? How many Wants are we preffed withal? Our Neceffities are infinite, and our Enjoyments no ways proportioned to our Neceffities: Notwithstanding even in this, the Love and Wisdom of our heavenly Father thews it felf, and oftentimes more gloriously in the Theatre of Mens Weaknefs, Infirmities and Wants, than they could appear in the abfolute and total Exemption of his Children from Neceffities: Strength perfected in Weakness, Grace fufficient in Infirmities, hath fome greater Glory than Strength and Grace alone. Therefore he hath chofen this Way as meft fit for the advancing his Glory, and moft fuitable tor: for our Comfort and Fdification, to give us but little in Hand, and environ us with a Crowd of continued Neceffities and Wants within and without, that we may learn to cry to him as our Father, and feek our Supplies from him; and withal he hath not been fparing, but liberal in Promifes of hearing our Cries, and fupplying our Wants; fo that this Way of narrow and hard Difpenfation, that at first seems contrary to the Love and Bounty and Riches of our Father, in the perfect View of it, appears to be the only Way to perpetuate our Communion with him, and of ten to renew the Senfe of his Love and Grace, that would grow flack in our Hearts, if our Needs did not every Day ftir up fresh Longings, and his Returns by this Means are fo much the more refreshing. There is a Time of Childrens Minority, when they stand in need of continual Supplies from their Parents, or Tutors, because they are not entered in Poffeffion of their Inheritance; and while they are in this State, there is nothing more befeem ing them, than in all their Wants to addrefs to their Father, and reprefent them to him; and it is fit they should be from Hand to Mouth, as you say, that they may know and acknowledge their Dependence on their Father. Truly this is our Minority, our Prefence in the Body, which because of Sin that dwells in it, and its own natural Weakness and Incapacity, keeps us at much Distance with the Lord, that we cannot be intimately prefent with him. Now, in this Condition, the most comely and becoming Exercife of Children, is, to cry to our Father, to prefent all our Grievances; and thus to intertain fome holy Correfpondence with our abfent Father, by the Messenger of Prayer and Supplication,which cannot return empty,if it be not fent away too full of Selfconceit. This is the most natural Breathing of a Child of God in this World, it is the moft proper acting of his new Life, and the moft fuitable Exfpiration of that Spirit of Adoption that is infpired into him, Since there is so much Life as to know what we want, and our Wants are infinite; therefore that Life cannot but beat this Way, in holy Defires after God, whofe Fullness can supply all Wants: This is the Pulfe of a Chriftian, that goeth continually, and there is much Advantage to the Continuity and Interruptedness of the Motion, from the Infiniteness and Inexbauftedness of our Needs in this Life, and the continual Assaults that are made by Neceffity and Temptation on the Heart. But ye bave received the Spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry, &c. He puts in his own Name in the latter Part, though theirs was in the former Part: When he fpeaks of a Donation or Privilege, he applies to the meaneft, to fhew that the loweft and moft defpifed Creature is not in any Incapacity to receive the greatest Gifts of God; and then, when he mentions the working of that Spirit in way of Interceffion, because it imports Neceflity and Want, he cares not to commit fome Incongruity in the Language, by changing the Perfon, that he may teach us, that Weakness, Infirmities, and Wants, are common to the beft and chiefeft among Chriftians; That the most eminent have continual Need to cry, and the lowest and obfcureft Believers have as good Ground to believe the Hearing and Acceptance of their Cries; that the highest are not above the weakest and lowest Ordinance; and that the lowest are not below the Comfort of Help and Acceptation in him. Nay, the Growth and Increase of Grace, is fo far from exemp ting Men from, or fetting them above this Duty of conftant Supplication, that by the contrary, this is the juft Measure of their Growth and Altitude in Grace As the Degrees of the Height of the Water Nilus in its overflowing, are a fure Sign of the Fertility or Barrennefs of that Year; fo the Overflowings of the Spirit of Prayer in one gives a prefent Account how the Heart is, whether barren and unfruitful in the Knowledge of Jefus Chrift, or fruitful and lively and vigorous in it. It is certain that Contraries do difcover one another, and the more the one be increafed, that is, not only the more incompatible and inconfiftent with the other, but gives the most perfect difcerning of it. When Grace is but as Twlight in the Soul, and as the Dawning of the Day only, grofs Darkness and Uncleannefs is fecn; but the more it grow to the perfect Day, the more Sin is Sin, and the more its hated Wants are difcovered that did not appear; and therefore it exercifeth its felf the more in Oppofition to Sin, and Supplication to God. To speak the Truth, our Growth here is but an Advancement in the Knowledge and Senfe of our Indigency: 'Tis but a further Entry into the idolatrous Temple of the Heart, which makes a Man fee daily new Abominations worse than the former; and therefore you may easily know that fuch repeated Sights and Difcoveries, will but prefs out more earnest and frequent Cries from the Heart, and fuch a Growth in Humility, and Faith in God's Fulness, will be but as Oil to feed the Flame of Supplication. For what is Prayer indeed, but the Ardency of the Affection after God, flaming up to him in Cries and Requests? To fpeak of this Exercife, of an holy Heart, it would require more of the Spirit of it than we have: But truly this is to be lamented, that though there be no thing more common among Chriftians in the outward Practice of it; yet that there is nothing more extraordinary and rare, even among many that use it, than to be acquainted with the inward Nature of it. Truly, the most ordinary Things in Religion, are the greateft Myfteries, as to the true Life of them: We are Strangers to the Soul and Life of thefe Things, which confifts in the holy Behaviour and Deportment of our Spirits, before the Father of Spirits. Thefe Words give fome Ground to fpeak of fome Special Qualifications of Prayer, and the chief Principle of it. The chief Principle and Original of Prayer, is, the Spirit of Adoption re ceived into the Heart: It is a Business of a higher Nature, than can be taught by Precepts, or learned by Cuftom and Education. There is, a general Mistake a mong Men, that the Gift of Prayer is at tained by Learning, and that it confifts in the Freedom and Plenty of Expreffion. But O how many Doctors and Difputers of the World, that can defend all the Articles of Faith against the Oppofers of them; yet how unacquainted are they with this Exercife, that the poor and unlearned, and Nothings in the World, who cannot dif pute for Religion, yet they send up a more favory and acceptable Sacrifice, and fweet Incenfe to God daily, when they offer up their Souls Defires in Simplicity and Sincerity. Certainly this is a fpiritual Thing, derived only from the Fountain of Spirits. This Grace of pouring out our Souls into him, and keeping Communication with him, the Variety of Words, and Riches of Expreffions, it is but the Shell of it, the external Shadow; and all the Life confifts in the Frame of the Heart before God: And this none can put in Frame, but he that formed the Spirit of Man with in him: Some through Cuftom of Hear ing and using it, attain to a Habit of ex- | preffing themselves readily in it, it may be to the Satisfaction of others, but alas! they may be Strangers to the first Letters and Elements of the Life and Spirit of Prayer. I would have you who want both, look up to Heaven for it: Maný of you cannot be induced to pray in your Family, (and I fear httle or none in Secret, which is indeed a more ferious Work) because you have not been used, or not learned, or fuch like. Alas! Beloved, this cometh not through Education or Learning, it cometh from the Spirit of Adoption: And if ye cannot pray, ye fay ye bave not the Spirit, and if ye have not the Spirit, ye are not the Sons of God. Know what is in the inevitable Sequel of your own Confeffions. am fure, many of us ufeth this Excufe, who are fo cold in it, that we do not warm our felves; and how shall we think to prevail with God? Our Spirits make little Noife when we cry all the loudest; we can fcarce hear any Whisper in our Hearts, and how fhall he hear us? Certainly, it is not the Extention of the Voice pleafeth him, it is the Cry of the Heart that is fweet Harmony in his Ears: And you may easily perceive that, if you but confider that he is an infinite Spirit, that pier-. ceth into all the Corners of our Hearts, and hath all the Darknefs of it as Light before him, how can you think that fuch a Spirit can be pleased with Lip-cries? How can he endure fuch Deceit and Falhood, (who hath fo perfect a Contrariety with all falfe Appearances) that your Heart should ly fo dead and flat before him, and the Affection of it turned quite another Way? There were no Sacrifices without Fire in the Old Testament, and that Fire was kept in perpetually; and fo no Prayer now without fome inward Fire, conceived in the Defires, and blazing up and growing into a Flame in the prefent But I hafte to the Qualifications of this divine Work, Fervency, Reverence, and Confidence; Fervency in crying, Reverence and Confidence in crying, Abba, Father; for these two fuit well towards our Father: The first I fear, we must seek it elsewhere than in Prayer, I find it spent on other Things of lefs Moment. Truly all the Spirit and Afing of them to God. fection of Men runs in another Channel, in the way of Contention and Strife, in the Way of Paffion and mifcalled Zeal, and because these Things whereabout we do thus earnestly contend, have fome Intereft or Coherence with Religion, we not only excuse but approve our Vehemency. But O! much better where that imployed in Supplications to God, that were a divine Channel. Again, the Marrow of other Mens Spirits is exhaufted in the Pursuit of Things in the World, the Edge of their Defires is turned that Way, and it must needs be blunted and dulled in fpiritual Things, that it cannot pierce into Heaven, and prevail effectually, I The Incense that was to be offered on the Altar of Perfume, Exod. xxx. it behoved to be beaten and prepared; and truly, Prayer would do well to be made out of a beaten and bruised Heart and contrite Spirit, a Spirit truly fenfible of its own Unworthiness and Wants; and that beating and pounding of the Heart will yield a good fragrant Smell, as fome Spices do not till beaten: The Incense was made of divers Spices, intimating to us, that true Prayer it not one Grace alone, but a Compound of Graces. It is the joint Exercise of all a Chriftian's Graces; fea. foned with all; every one of them give fame particular Fragrancy to it, as HumiY y lity, Α' LL that know any Thing of Religi-Ears of God: His Ear is fharp, and the on, must needs know and con- Voice of the Soul's Defires is fhrill, and fefs that there is no Exercife either more though it were out of the Depths, they fuitable to him that profeffeth it, or more will meet together. It is true, the Veneedful for him, than to give himself to hemency of Affection will fometimes the Exercife of Prayer: But that which is caufe the Extenfion of the Voice; but confeffed by all, and as to the outward yet it may cry as loud to Heaven when Performance gone about by many, I fear it is kept within. I do not prefs fuch it is yet a Myftery fealed up from us, as extraordinary Degrees of Fervour as may to the true and living Nature of it. There affect the Body, but I would rather wish is much of it expreffed here in few we accustomed our felves to a folid calm Words, Whereby we cry, Abba, Fa-Serioufnefs and Earneftnefs of Spirit, ther. The divine Conftitution and which might be more conftant than Qualifications of this divine Work, is fuch Raptures can be, that we might alhere made up of a Temper of Fervency,ways gather our Spirits to what we are Reverence, and Confidence. The first Ifpoke of before; but I fear our Hearts were not well heated then, or may be cooled fince. It is not the loud Noife of Words that is best heard in Heaven, or that is conftructed to be crying to God: No, this is tranfacted in the Heart more filently to Men, but it Ariketh up into the about, and avocate them from impertinent Wanderings, and fix them upon the prefent Object of our Worship: This is to worship him in Spirit, who is a Spirit. The other Thing that compofes the fweet Temper of Prayer is Reverence : And what more fuitable? whether you |