he will rife, and give him as many as he needeth. And verily I fay unto you, ask, and it shall be given; feek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. And again he spake a Parable to this End, that Men ought always to pray, and not to faint. There was in a City a Judge, that feared not God, nor regarded Man; and there was a Widow in that City, and she came unto him, faying, avenge me of mine Adverfary; and he would not for a while: But afterwards he faid within himself, though I fear not God, nor regard Man ; yet because this Widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, left by her continual Coming, She weary me. Now, fince the Man prevailed upon his Friend by his Importunity, and the Widow on the unjuft Judge by the fame Means; much more may we hope, by our Affiduity, to prevail upon God, who hath promised to hear the Petitions of them who afk in his Son's Name; and is always more ready to hear, than we to pray, and is wont to give more than either we defire, or deferve.

4. Another

4.

Another Qualification is Charity. When we offer up our Prayees to Almighty God, our Hearts must be full of Amity and Good-will. When we are feeking for Mercy at the Hands of God, it would be the utmost Folly and Prefumption, to imagine that he will hear us, whilst we harbour in our Breafts nothing but Envy and Malice. When ye pray, fays our Saviour, forgive. This Qualification is indeed fo highly neceffary, that without it, our Prayers will not be accepted. It is upon this very Condition that we are encouraged to offer up our Addreffes to the Throne of Grace for Mercy and Forgiveness. Why should a Man expect that God fhould be merciful. to him, and forgive him his Sins, and fave him out of his Troubles, when he will fhew no Kindness to his Fellow-creatures, who are the Work of God's Hands, as well as he? We muft, therefore, lift up holy Hands without Wrath. Our Prayers to God must be attended with Love to our Brethren. Love and Good-will must reign in our Hearts; and then we may humbly H 2 hope

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hope that our Prayers will afcend up to our Father which is Heaven, and be heard with Acceptance by the God of all Mercy.

5. We must offer up our Prayers to God with clean Hands and a pure Heart. It is in vain to expect Deliverance from our Afflictions, fo long as we retain our Sins; for these inflame God's Wrath against us, and provoke him to inflict thefe Evils upon us for our Punishment. An hearty Contrition and Sorrow for our Faults, and a fteady Purpose of Amendment, must accompany our Petitions to render them effectual. For it is a manifeft Mocking of God, to demand Relief from the Miferies that Sin bringeth upon us, and yet to keep and cherish the favourite in our Bofom. Be not deceived, God will not be mocked; for what a Man foweth, that shall be also reap. If we live after the Flesh, and fow Iniquity, we must expect Trouble and Sorrow, as the natural and neceffary Confequence. It is true, that God doth fometimes feem to anfwer the Petitions of the Wicked, and to grant their Requests, by removing the Calamities

lamities which they pray against. But if their Deliverance from prefent Sufferings do not produce in them a fincere Repentance, it will only ferve to increase their Condemnation. The Mercy and Goodness of God extended towards them, if not applied to a right Ufe, inftead of a Bleffing, will be changed into a Curfe; will add a greater Weight to our Guilt, and help to make our Punishment more intolerable in the World to come.

To these let us add a deep Sense of our own Unworthinefs; not claiming any Exemption from suffering for any good Deeds. that we have done, nor thinking ourselves hardly dealt by when God permitteth AfAictions to take hold of us. The best of Men may very justly suffer in this World; without any Imputation either on the Mercy or Juftice of God. After all our Endeavours, we must look upon ourselves as 'unprofitable Servants; and our very best Services are fo extremely imperfect, and are fo fadly mixed with fuch Faults and Infirmities that they may juftly exculpate God from

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from Injustice or Cruelty, when he inflicteth fevere Judgments upon us. If, therefore, we defire to have our Prayers heard; if we expect to find an happy Deliverance out of all our Troubles, we must express a perfect Refignation to the Will of God; an hearty Abhorrence of our Sins; and a firm Refolution of Amendment. We must offer up our Prayers with Faith, nothing doubting ; with Humility and Meekness, with Conftancy and Perfeverence, and with Hearts. full of Love and Charity; and then we may humbly hope that God will incline his Ear, to our Requests, and in his good appointed Time bring us out of our Diftreffes, or give us Strength to bear them; and crown our Faith and Patience with immortal Honour and Glory,

I proceed now to confider laftly, the Advantages arifing from a right Performance of this Duty,

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In the firft Place then, we find great even from the bare pouring out our Complaints. Experience fufficiently teacheth us this Truth. When we are oppressed by

any