XXXI.

SERM. pified His death and passion: and all the while the incense was burning, the people were praying; as we learn from Luke 1. 10. St. Luke, saying, "And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense," as also from 2 Chron. xxix. 27-29. Which shews that they had, or at least ought to have had, in all their prayers, an eye to the merits and Mediation of the promised Messiah or Christ, represented by the sacrifices and incense that were then offered.

Ps. 2. 6.

The same thing appears also from the sacrifices being offered, and their devotions performed always before the Ark, where God our Saviour resided in a wonderful manner between the Cherubims, over the mercy-seat; both while the Ark was carried about in the Tabernacle, and when it was fixed in the Temple, which Solomon built upon Mount Sion at Hierusalem: therefore called "the Holy Hill," because Christ there sat as king. By which means their prayers were offered up in His name, as there specially present; which they believed so necessary to render their prayers acceptable to God, that wheresoever they were, they still looked that way when they prayed. As we read of Dan. 6. 10. Daniel while he was at Babylon, that "when he knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house, and his windows being open in his chamber, toward Hierusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a-day, and prayed." For why should his windows be then open towards Hierusalem, but to shew that he had respect to Him who was wont to sit there, as the only person by whom his prayers could be accepted, and his petitions granted?

[Ps. 80. 1;

99. 1.]

66

Thus also when David speaks, as he often doth in the Psalms, of Hierusalem, of Zion, of the Temple, or the Altar, or of God, as sitting between the Cherubims," it is plain he had an eye-witness to Him who sat there; so he had also, when in his prayers to God he calls Him the God of his Righteousness, the God of his Salvation, his Deliverer, his Redeemer, his Strength, his Rock, his Defence, his God: and when he prays God to hear him for His Name's sake, for His mercy's sake, according to the multitude of His mercies, and the like; these are all expressions of his faith in Christ, and his way or manner of praying in His Name,

in whom alone God hath promised to be our God, and to be merciful to us. And therefore David prays to Him to accept his prayers, saying, "Let the words of my mouth, Ps. 19. 14. and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my Strength, and my Redeemer." Daniel also prays in His Name as plainly as we can do it now, saying, "Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of Thy servant, Dan. 9. 17. and his supplications, and cause Thy face to shine upon Thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake;" that is, as we say now, "for the Lord Christ's sake;" for no other Lord can possibly be there meant. To which we may add a remarkable passage in the Book of Ecclesiasticus, which was certainly written many years before our Saviour's Incarnation; there Jesus, the son of Sirach, begins his prayer thus: "I will thank Thee, O Lord and Ecclus. 51. King, and praise Thee, O God my Saviour." And soon after saith, "I called upon the Lord, the Father of my ver. 10. Lord, that He would not leave me in the days of my trouble." Where he speaks as plainly of our Lord Christ, as David did, when he said, "The Lord said unto my Lord." Ps. 110. 1; And as plainly gives us to understand, that not only the Prophets, but all God's faithful people in those days, believed the Lord, the Almighty God, to be the Father of one who was Himself also the Lord, and in a peculiar manner their Lord and Saviour; and that in their prayers they had respect to Him, and prayed in His Name, calling upon the Lord as the Father of their Lord Christ, and so expecting to be heard only upon His account, and for His sake, who was promised by the Name of "the Lord," and "Messiah Dan. 9. 25. the Prince."

5. But now, under the New Testament, we must not ask only in the Name of Christ, but in the Name of Jesus Christ, believing Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of God, and Saviour of the world, so often promised and foretold by the Prophets for this is the only difference between their faith and ours; they believed in Christ as then to come, we believe in Him as already come, and that Jesus of Nazareth is the Person: and must therefore now accordingly pray in His Name as such, which they under the law did not. As our Lord Himself intimates to His Disciples, where, speaking of

I

1.

Matt. 22.

43-45.

XXXI.

John 16. 24.

SERM. their praying in His Name, He saith, "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My Name." I know these words have much puzzled interpreters; but in this sense they are plain and easy though they had all along prayed in the Name of the promised Messiah, or Christ, yet hitherto they had not prayed in His Name, in the Name of Jesus, as the Christ that was promised. But this we must now do, as ever we desire to have what we pray for; for He here promiseth to do what we ask in His Name, but nothing else. Hence it is, that His Church hath all along concluded their prayers, as we do every one of the collects in our public Liturgy, with the mention of His Name, except St. Chrysostom's, and two or three more, which are directed to Himself, and so are made all over in His Name. And as the Jews always performed their public devotions at the place where they offered sacrifices, as types of the death which Christ was to suffer; so Christians performed theirs at the Altar, the place where they administered the holy Sacrament, in memory of that death which Jesus suffered, the better to exercise their faith in Him, for the obtaining of what they prayed for in His Name.

And verily, it is well for us, that we have such a Name as His to pray in; otherwise, I do not see with what confidence we could expect, or so much as ask any thing that is good of God: for He is a great, glorious, immense, almighty, omniscient, immutable, incomprehensible, infinite, eternal Being; wisdom, glory, goodness, purity, perfection itself. He rules and reigns, and doth whatsoever He pleaseth in Heaven and earth, with every thing that is in the world. And who are we, that we should take upon us to speak to Him? We, who were made by Him, and live continually upon Him, and yet continually offend Him! We, sinful dust and ashes, who deserve nothing but wrath and vengeance, Hell and damnation from Him! Who are we, that we should take the boldness to ask any thing of Him, and expect that He should grant it? Certainly, in ourselves we [Hos. 10.8; have not the least shadow of any pretence for it, but should rather call for the mountains, if it were possible, to cover us, and for the hills to hide us from Him, than dare to speak unto Him, or so much as come into His presence. Neither

Luke 23.

30.]

can any, or all the creatures in the world, help us; for they are all as much below Him as we ourselves are. What then shall we do? Blessed be His great Name, as "there 1 Tim.2.5,6. is one God, there is one Mediator between God and us, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all," and by that means hath not only redeemed us from all the curses which were due to us, but hath also purchased for us all sorts of blessings, all the good things that we can possibly desire. And He is now at the right hand of God in Heaven, there mediating and interceding, that we may have them upon our asking them in His Name, and upon the account of that price which He hath given for them: and He being God as well as man, is present wheresoever we are, hears what we say, looks into our very hearts, and observes how they stand affected towards Him all the while we are at prayer, so as most perfectly to know whether we ask any thing really in His Name, and for His sake only, believing, trusting, relying upon Him alone, and His all-sufficient merits and Mediation for it. And if we do that, He here promiseth that we shall have it, yea, that He Himself will do it: "If ye shall ask any thing," saith He, "in My Name, I will do it."

But in what sense this is to be understood, is the next question to be resolved; and it may well be made a question, forasmuch as there have been many in all ages, and still are, whose experience seems to contradict what is here said. We have prayed, say they, for many things, and have asked them in the name of Christ, constantly using His Name in all our prayers, and yet have not obtained what we have asked in it; how then is this promise fulfilled? How can we believe these words to be true, when we have found the contrary by our own experience, even that He hath not done what we have asked in His Name? To that I answer in the Apostle's words, "Let God be true, and every man a Rom. 3. 4. liar." And in those of our Blessed Saviour, "Heaven and Matt.24.35. earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." Whatsoever men may say, or think, or find; whatsoever Christ hath said, cannot but be true, as He said it. And the only reason why men do not alway see into the truth of what He said, is, because they do not carefully observe

15.

XXXI.

SERM. when, to whom, and how He said it: they take the words in general, only as they appear at first sight, without looking particularly into every one of them; whereas, be sure there is not the least word ever came out of His Divine mouth, but what hath great weight and emphasis. And if we thus particularly consider these words of our Lord, and compare them with what He saith elsewhere, we shall find them true to a tittle; and that if there be any one instance, wherein this promise is not verified, and punctually fulfilled to us, the fault is in us, not in Him that made it: as we shall clearly see, if we do but cast our eye upon all the words as they lie in order.

First, saith our Lord, "If ye, ye My disciples:" it is to them alone He speaks, both here, and wheresoever else He makes any such promise; He never saith, if any one, but if ye that believe in Me, ye that love and honour Me, ye that obey and serve Me, "if ye shall ask any thing in My Name, I will do it : He will do it for them, but for none else. The Apostles commonly cast out devils by the Name of Jesus, Acts 19. 13, but the exorcists could not do so; when they said, “We adjure you by Jesus, whom Paul preacheth;" the evil Spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are ye?" The Devil himself could not tell what to make of such people, who did not believe in Jesus, and yet had the confidence to use His Name. There are many such among us, who talk much of Jesus, and often use, or rather abuse His sacred Name, and yet they will not believe in Him, nor take His yoke upon them, but still continue in their sins: and how can such expect that He should hear them? The man in the Gospel knew better than so, when He said, John 9. 31. "We know that God heareth not sinners; but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth His will, him He heareth.” Ps. 66. 18. And so said David, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." And that is the reason why so few are heard, because most are sinners, enemies to the cross of Christ, who can never pray sincerely in His Name, nor indeed have any good design in what they pray for; and then it is no wonder they are not heard, as St. James observes, James 4. 3. "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." And besides, none can