[They will repeat their accustomed form at ftated feafons Or they will offer a few general and cold petitionsAnd with this outward act they will reft fàtisfied— They feel no pleafure in the duty, but perform it as a task-] But there are few indeed who pray to God aright [There is a remnant now, as there was in the prophet's days h There are fome who "ftir up their fouls to lay hold on God" But these are few when compared with the bulk of mankind They may be faid comparatively to be "none" at all—] To counteract this evil we proceed to fet forth III. The confequences of this neglect The tokens of God's difpleafure, which thofe in the text experienced, will be experienced by all who neglect prayer God will furely "hide his face from them He will not reveal to them his glory [He reveals himfelf to his people as he does not unto the world' He fhines into their hearts to discover to them his gloryBut he will vouchfafe no fuch mercy to those who call not upon him His perfections are to them rather an object of terror than of admiration-] He will not manifeft to them his love [He often "fheds abroad his love in the hearts" of those who feek him— But the neglecters of prayer" intermeddle not with their joyk❞— They are ftrangers to the fpirit of adoption They rather banish God from their thoughts, and wish like the fool1-] He will not communicate to them his bleffings [His faithful worshippers have all the bleffings of grace and glory But others have no part or lot with them .The h Ifai. viii. 18. The prophe certainly did not mean to include them in his cenfure. i John xiv. 22. * Prov. xiv. 10. 1 Pf. xiv. 1. The words in Italics are not in the original. The bleffings they do enjoy are turned into a curfe unto them And to eternity must they afcribe their mifery to their own neglect -] APPLICATION They, who live without prayer, fhould confider these things [This offence has been awfully marked by the indignation of God a How bitter must be the reflections of those who perish through this neglect !— Surely all should seek the Lord while he may be found-] They alfo, who are formal in prayer, fhould lay them to heart [Thefe, as being more liable to deceive themselves, are in greater danger— Our must be fervent in order to be effectual® prayers If we would enter into heaven, we muft,prefs into it with violence P-] Nor fhould this fubject ever be forgotten by those who profefs godliness [Unless we ftir up ourselves continually, we fhall foon lose the divine prefence- We cannot guard too much againft formality in prayerLet us be encouraged by God's gracious declaration —] m If all the fouls that are banished from the divine prefence were afked, "Wherefore has God hid his face from you?" they muft affign the reason that is given in the text. n Pf. lxxxi. 10-12. "God gave them up :" to what? to their enemies? to death? or to immediate and eternal condemnation ? No; to what was worfe than even that, "their own hearts luft," that they might "treasure up wrath against the day of wrath." • James v.-16. P Matt. xi. 12. 9 Prov. xv. 8. God is not more pleased with the fongs of angels than with the fighs and groans of a contrite foul. XCIV. THE DUTY OF PERSEVERING IN PRAYER. Luke xviii. 1. Men ought always to pray, and not to faint. THE efficacy of prayer is continually exhibited in the facred writings And every incitement to it is afforded us Neverthelets we are prone to faint in the performance of it To encourage our perfeverance in it our Lord delivered a parable Waving all notice of the parable itself, we fhall confider I. Our duty To be always in the act of prayer would interfere with other duties That which is here inculcated, implies that we pray [Regular feafons for prayer fhould be fixed- Except in cafes of abfolute neceflity they thould be adhered to We fhould conftantly acknowledge God in the public affembly b We thould maintain his worship alfo in our families- [There are many particular occafions which require us to pray Profperity, that God may counteract its evil tendency Adverfity, a Matt. ix. 13. b Heb. x. 25. Abraham and Joshua were noted for their attention to family religion: Gen. xviii. 19. Josh. xxiv. 15. and our Lord's example is worthy of imitation; he not only expounded his parables to his difciples in private, but prayed with them. See Luke ix. 18. which means, "he was at a distance from the multitude, and praying with his difciples." How frequent the ftated feafons fhall be, must be left to our own diferetion; David's example is good, Pf. Iv. 17. But as the morning and evening facrifices were called the continual burnt-offering, fo they may be faid to pray always who pray at thofe returning feafons. e Our liturgy teaches us to pray, in all time of our wealth: See Prov. xxx. 9. Adverfity, that we may be fupported under it' [We should maintain a spiritual frame of mind We may have a disposition for prayer in the midst of bufinefs Nor will fecret ejaculations prevail lefs than folemn devotions -] To pray thus is our duty; "We ought," &c. It is a duty we owe to God [He, our Creator, Preferver, and Redeemer, has commanded it Nor can any thing abfolve us from our obligation to obey-] We owe it also to our neighbour [The edification of Chrift's myftical body depends, not only on the union of every part with the head, but on the whole being fitly framed together, and on every joint supplying its proper nourishment But if we be remifs in prayer, we fhall be incapable of adminiftering that benefit, which other members have a right to expect from us -] We owe it to ourselves [A" fpirit of fupplication" is as neceffary to the foul, as food to the body Nor can we feel any regard for our fouls, if we do not cultivate it-] It is, however, by no means eafy to fulfil this duty II. The difficulties that attend it When we fet ourfelves to the performance of it, we fhall find difficulties Before we begin to pray [Worldly bufinefs may indifpofe our minds for this employment Family cares may distract and diffipate our thoughts- ment f James v. 13. 2 Chron. vii. 14. By Compare 2 Sam. xv. 31. with 2 Sam. xvii. 14, 23. See alfo Neh. ii. 4, 6. i Eph. iv. 16. Col. ii. 19. Samuel had a deep conviction of this truth; 1 Sam. xii. 23. By these means many are tempted to defer their religious exercises But to yield to the temptation is to increase the difficulty-] While we are engaged in prayer [The world is never more trouble fome than at such feafous Something feen or heard, loft or gained, done or to be done, will generally obtrude itself upon us when we are at the throne of grace The flesh alfo, with its vileft imaginations, will folicit our attention Nor will Satan be backward to interrupt our devotions'-] After we have concluded prayer [When we have prayed, we fhould expect an anfwerBut worldliness may again induce a forgetfulness of GodImpatience to receive the defired bleffings may deject us--Ignorance of the method in which God anfwers prayer may caule us to difquiet ourselves with many ungrounded appre henfions Unbelief may rob us of the benefits we might have received m Whatever obftructs God's anfwers to prayer, difqualifies us for the future discharge of that duty-] APPLICATION [Let us not expect victory without many conflicts Let us remember the effect of perfeverance in the cafe of Mofes " Above all, let us attend to the parable spoken for this end So fhall we be kept from fainting under our discourage ments And God will fulfil to us his own promife P-] He has various devices whereby he strives to accomplish his purpofe. He will fuggeft" it is needlefs to pray" or, "it is prefumption for fo great a finner to ask any thing of God:" or, "it is hypocrify to afk, when the heart is fo little engaged." Sometimes he will inject into the Chriftian's mind the moft blafphemous and horrid thoughts; and at other times tempt him to admire his own fluency and enlargement in prayer. Such are the "fiery darts" with which he often affails the foul, Eph. vi. 16. |