Perfons, admiring and envying the State of others above them, are apt to with and pray for all the Gaiety and Splendour of thofe higher Stations; which, if they had it, God knows would be the only endangering their far more valuable, fpiritual, and eternal State, for the empty Vanities of this World. This is but one Inftance how our Prayers might be shortened, by leaving it to God's Wisdom and Goodness in general, to carve out for us what Portion of earthly Bleffings he thinks fit, and knows to be beft for us. And fo for the Conduct of publick Affairs and the Government of the World, it is beft to put up our Petitions in general Terms, and to pray, (a) That we may lead quiet and peaceable Lives in all Godliness and Honesty. But for the particular Ways and Methods how this is to be effected, it is beft to leave them to God, and to meddle with Particulars no further than he has encouraged us in his holy Word. This fame Notion of committing worldly Things in general to God's Care, without running out into many particular Suits, is not only obferved by our Saviour in this excellent Prayer, which immediately follows, and is every where to be seen in the Practice of the Apoftles, who confine their Petitions to fpiritual Bleffings, with a wonderful Refignation as to Temporals; but it has likewife been obferved by fome wife Heathens, who have really delivered admirable good Divinity on this Subject; only that they speak of the Gods, in the plural Number, instead of our one Great (a) 1 Tim. ii. 2. G 2 God God. What can be finer, or more divine, than that of Juvenal: Permittes ipfis expendere Numinibus, quid Nam pro jucundis aptiffima quæque dabunt Dii. Instead of putting up a great many Requests for Things which we cannot foresee how they will prove, he advifes the leaving it to the Gods to chufe what they think moft proper for us; as knowing much better what is fit for our Circumftances, and taking a better Care of us, than we do of our felves. IV. Fourthly, Our wrong Conceptions concerning the Nature of Prayer, turning it from being the Work of the Heart, to a meer external laborious Service, are here rectified. Long Prayers are the Work of the Invention, the Work of the Memory, Sentences laid together by Art and Eloquence; but if they were reduced to what comes from the Heart and Affection (as there is nothing elfe God regards in Prayer) they would be short enough; for it is not the much Speaking, but the ardent Loving of God, that he minds. Now this Intenseness of Affection, requires a vast Degree of Devotion indeed, to make it hold out to any great Length. V. The last Thing I obferved from the Words, and it is an Obfervation refulting from the whole of them, is, That whether we confider God's Perfection, or our Imperfection, or the Danger of a Pharifaical Devotion; few Words in Prayer are beft, and accordingly the Lord's Prayer is framed after this Model, the Petitions of it being very short, but very comprehensive. (1.) God's (1.) God's Perfection is fuch, that it requires a Treatment with all fort of Refpect. It is Solomon's Advice, Eccl. v. 2. Be not rash with thy Mouth, and let not thy Heart be hafty to utter any thing before God; for God is in Heaven and thou upon Earth, therefore let thy Words be few.' If we are to make our Addreffes to a Superiour upon' Earth, we take Care that our Words be few and deliberate. Further, we have fhewed already from the Nature of God, that he does not want to be informed of our Wants, or to be stirred up' by Arguments to relieve us; and therefore a great Part of our Prayers being lengthened from thoseTopicks, may well be cut fhort. Further, the implicit Faith we ought to have in God's Care and Providence, and in the Mediation of Jefus Christ, may encourage us to reft upon general Addreffes to God, without more particular Inftructions, which would be more neceflary, if we were to Petition a lefs perfect Being. (2.) Our own Imperfection too is fuch, that we cannot indeed fit our long Addreffes to God, without a great deal of Impertinency. As to worldly Things, it has been fhewn that we know not what, or how much of them is good for us; and therefore all these are to end in begging our daily Bread, or fuch a Competency of the good Things of this World, as God knows will be moft proper for Perfons in our Circumftances. And as to fpiritual Bleffings, they are by our Saviour fummed up in few Words; (a) Seek ye firft, fays he, the Kingdom of God, and the Righteousness (a) Matt, vi. 33. G 3 thereof, thereof, and all thefe Things (worldly Bleffings) fhall be added to you. And elsewhere all is fummed up in the Gift of the Holy Spirit, Luke xi. 13. If ye then being Evil, know how to give good Gifts unto your Children; how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that afk him? Though it is very decent for a Child to depend upon his Father, and to come to him for the Supply of all his Wants; how unbecoming and impertinent would it be for the Child to enumerate to the Father all Things that he must give, and even to prescribe the Sorts and Quantity, which are fit to be left to his Wifdom and Difcretion? (3.) If we confider the Danger of a Pharifaical Devotion; that is, Devotion not coming from the Heart; few Words are beft. It is extream difficult to keep the Affections long bent; and much Speaking doth naturally diffipate Devotion; and the addreffing to God without the Heart, as it is no acceptable Service to him, so it is attended with very bad Confequences as to our felves; it is apt to make us loath and grow weary of our Devotion; it is not attended with the due Returns of Prayer, which is apt to tempt us to a Disbelief of the great Promises which are made to that Duty; befides that long Prayers are apt to feed a fpiritual Pride, and to tempt us to reft there, as if we had done our Duty; whereas Prayer is but one half; Endeavours muft duly attend them, or elfe we do but tempt God, and lofe our Labour. To conclude then; what our Prayers want in Length of Words, let it be added to the Eagernefs and Intensenefs of our Affection; let our Hearts be always kept in a good Frame, and in a right Difpofition to receive the Influences of God's Grace; and let all be diligently backed with vigorous Endeavours to avoid those Sins which we pray against, and to put in Practice those Graces we pray for; and then we may be fure that our Devotion is fincere and to good Purpose. But for a further help of our Devotion, here follows that excellent Form of it, commonly called the Lord's-Prayer, which we are next, God willing, to explain; for which I beg the Affiftance of your Prayers to Almighty God, through the Mediation of Jefus Chrift. To whom, &c. |