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Conftantine the Great affirms (n) a righteous prayer to be an invincible defence; that it shall not meet with a disappointment, when offered up in holiness. But it is needless to infift upon the authority of others, fince the Holy Scripture is fo full to this purpose; and efpecially confidering the exprefs promife of our bleffed Saviour: (0) Afk, and it shall be given you: feek, and ye fhall find: knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that afketh, receiveth; and be that feeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it fhall be opened. And again, (p) Whatsoever ye shall afk of the Father in my name, he will give it you. Here is a fure foundation to build upon. Others may publish their own experience of the efficacy of their prayers; but our Lord here gives us fuch affurances, as leave no room to doubt, whether our prayers fhall be granted, fuppofing them fuch as were fit to be made by us; and that we ourselves put no obstruction in the way.

A Prayer for Direction and Affistance to pray aright.

I.

SEeing I am weak and helpless, and at my best estate I bave found, O God, by fad experience, that without thee I am not able to pleafe thee, nor know of myself, without the affiftannce of thy Holy Spirit, how to pray for any thing as I ought; I therefore humbly beg thy guidance and direction, that all my petitions may be according to thy will; that when I confefs my fins, it may be with an intire abhorrence and deteftation of them; when I offer up my praises, I may do it from a truly thankful heart; when I afk any temporal bleffings, any deliverance from danger or mifery, any good thing to be bestowed upon me, whether health of body, and

(η) Ανίκητον γὰρ χρῆμα ἡ δικαία προσευχὴ, καὶ ἐδεὶς ὁσίως λιανεύων ἀπολυγχάνει το σκοπ Orat. ad Cœtum San&torum, c. 26. (0) Matth. vii. 7, 8. (P) John xvi. 23.

a competency of outward enjoyments; an inward peace and fatisfaction of mind; or whatsoever is most defirable here, I may be fure to do it alway with a perfect fubmiffion to thine infinite wisdom; and when I fue for Spiritual favours, the forgiveness of fin, thy Holy Spirit to enlighten my understanding, to raise my affections to thee, and heavenly things; to affift my weaknesses, and help my infirmities, and enable me for the performance of whatever thou requirest of me, or for eternal life. and falvation; I may do it in faith and humility, and may watchfully avoid whatever tends to the frustrating my defires. Cleanfe and purify my foul from all thofe idle and vain fancies, thofe inordinate inclinations to the things of this world, thofe carnal defires and imaginations, and all thofe irregular motions in any kind, which are too apt to mifemploy my thoughts, and cool my affections; and even when in thy immediate prefence, and fuing for the greatest bleffings I am capable of receiving. And fince I cannot ferve thee as I would, do thou make me to ferve thee in juch a manner, as thou wilt condefcend to approve of, through Jesus Christ, our bleffed Saviour and Redeemer. Amen.

Another for the good Succefs of our Prayers.

II.

AND as thou haft both commanded and encouraged

me to addrefs myself to thee, for a supply of whatever I ftand in need of, whether in relation to this, or to another life; bearken to me, O gracious Lord, whenfoever a fenfe of my duty, and of my wants, brings me to make my fupplications before thee. Extend thy pity and compaffion to me. And answer not my requests according to my own defervings, but according to my needs, and thine abundant mercies, in thy dearly beloved Son Jejus Ckrift our Lord. Amen.

Eufeb. I prefume, Theodorus, that you have feen a Book, written about forefcore years fince, by a very worthy author, though not commonly taken notice

of

of now. He was fometime fellow of Emanuel in Cambridge; and afterwards rector of Inftow, vonshire. And his name was Mr. John Down.

Theod. He had feveral treatifes published in a thick quarto; but, I think, not till after his And he was, I find by them, a very confi man. But how came you to mention him now.

Eufeb. Upon the account of an admirable paffage I have obferv'd in him, to the point you was discoursing upon; which is fo full to the purpose, that I got it by heart fome years ago, and have fince fo often thought of it, and been pleas'd with it, that I am apt to think I fhall never forget it.

Theod. It does not occur to me at prefent. Be fo kind, therefore, as to help me out.

Eufeb. It is at the fifty-fifth page of this book; and begins thus: Prayer, as Damafcen expreffeth it, is avábaσis Tv, the mounting or flying up of the foul unto the throne of grace. It is the fweet ⚫ incenfe, that fweet-fmelling facrifice, that favoureth so pleasingly in the noftrils of our God. The im'portunity whereof, of Jacobs makes us Ifraels, wrestlers, prevailers with God; that if we will, he ⚫ cannot go from us, until he hath granted us his bleffing. For it hath annexed unto it the gracious promise of impetration. — Neither is there any thing fo difficult, or impoffible with man, but by prayer it may be obtain'd. By prayer, Abraham, when he was far ftricken in years, and the womb of his wife Sarah was now dead, obtained of God a fon, even Ifaac. By prayer, Jacob efcaped the fury and danger of his brother Efau. By prayer, the children of Ifrael were delivered from their • cruel fervitude and bondage in Egypt. By prayer,

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• Mofes ftood in the gap, and pacified the wrath of God, that he deftroyed not his people. By prayer,

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⚫ and the lifting up of his hands, the fame Mofes overthrew the hoft of the Amalekites. By prayer, Joshua ftopped the courfe of the fun, and God was obeP 4 • dient

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dient to the voice of a man. By prayer, Samfon revenged himself upon his enemies, and ruined the houfe of Dagon upon the Philiflines. By prayer, So⚫lomon obtain'd an incomparable measure of wifdom • from God. By prayer, Hezekiah, being at the point of death, had fifteen years more added to his life. By prayer, Daniel ftopped the mouths of the lions; the three children quenched the fiery furnace, that not a hair of their head perifhed; Jonah was difcharg'd of the whale's belly; and the prifon gates opened of their own accord, to inlarge St. Peter. It is a panchrefton, available for all things. It cureth diseases, difpoffeffeth devils; it fanctifieth the < creatures unto us, unlocketh the gates of Heaven, and procureth the coming of the Holy Ghoft. It it feasonable for all times, fit for all places, neceffary to all perfons; without it, no bufinefs, whatfoever we undertake, can thrive or profper.'

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Theod. This is an excellent and true character of this duty of prayer. And now, Anchithanes, seeing you have such encouragement, to pray to God in this your fickness, be fure to do it. And do it with a found and unfhaken faith, as being fully perfuaded, that God will both graciously hear you, and will work in you what fhall moft conduce to his glory, and the falvation of your own immortal foul. For, depend upon it, he is the fame Lord, yesterday, today, and for ever. (q) His hand is not fhortened, that it fhall not help; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot bear. No; (r) Salvation fill belongeth to the Lord, as much as ever; and his bleffing is upon bis people. Only let me defire of you, never to forget in whose hand you are, fo as to take upon you to chufe for yourfelf; and not rather to commit yourself, and all your concerns, to the Divine difpofal. And particularly, as to your present state, be not folicitous for life. But, forafmuch as you know not what is most expedient for you, leave it to Almighty God to de(g) Ifa. lix. 1. (r) Pfalm iii. 8.

termine

termine as shall beft please him. And be content, in all your prayers, intirely to fubmit your judgment, and refign your choice, to the direction of his infinite wifdom; which will be fure to have a regard for your trueft intereft, incomparably beyond what any mortal friend can have. Remember the petition you have just now put up to him, for a perfect fubmiffion to his will, in whatever concerns this life or world. And never fail to prefer his will before your own; and to acquiefce, and fatisfy yourself, in whatsoever it fhall be his good pleasure to ordain for you; after the example of our bleffed Lord, who a little before his paffion, being nearly affected with the apprehenfion of his approaching crucifixion, prayed three times over to his Heavenly Father, and with great vehemence and earneftness, that those bitter pains and tortures he was like to fuffer, might be prevented, and he might not be made to undergo them. Nevertheless, confidering that his Father's will is ever beft, and most eligible, and that the wills of all mankind are indifpenfably obliged to yield to it; he wished rather that the will of God might be accomplished, than his own, as he was man; and accordingly furrendered himself to fuffer whatsoever fhould be appointed him. (s) O my Father, fays our Saviour, if it be poffible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt. (t) O my Father, if this cup may not pass from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And again, the more exemplailry to fhew his ready fubmiffion to the Divine Will, (u) he prayed a third time, ufing the fame words.

Eufeb. If we profefs ourselves Chriftians, it will highly become us all, without doubt or hesitation, to follow this bleffed pattern, which our great Lord and Master has fet us, in all our prayers for temporal good things, of whatsoever kind. And this courfe therefore Anchithanes is neceffarily concerned to take, in relation to his fickness at this time. If you pray to (s) Matth. xxvi. 39. (t) Ibid. ver. 42. (z) Ibid. ver. 44.

God

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