you, Seek, and ye shall find, Knock, and it fhall be opened unto you.

It is true, we cannot from this Parable draw this Conclufion, that God is like the Man here spoken of, that he wants Kindness to his Friends, and that if he doth grant their Requests, it is not fo much out of Love, as that he may be freed from the Trouble of their Importunities; this is decent enough to be faid of a Man, and therefore our Saviour fo puts the Parable: but it cannot be applyed to an infinitely wife and good God, who never can be difturbed by others, nor is he put to any Disturbance or Trouble, in order to the conferring his Benefits. But thus much certainly the very Frame of the Parable leads us to conclude; that many things that God will not give us without our Prayers, he will give us if we pray to him for them. And those things that God will not grant upon our flight and lazy Prayers, he will grant if we be earnest and importunate and conftant in them: fo that it concerns every Perfon, if he would obtain what he prays for, to take this Courfe, both to pray fer vently, and to continue in fo doing. For Inftance, do you find that you do not make fuch Advances in Virtue and Goodness as you defire; but, notwithstanding your good Refolutions, you are under the Power of many Corruptions, which your Nature, or your former Cuftoms, do ftrongly incline you to? You think now that Prayer to God G 2

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for his Grace to affift and ftrengthen you is a good Remedy in this Cafe; and fo certainly it is; but you are mistaken, if you think that Praying once or twice, tho' it be very heartily, will do the Business. Nor are you to conclude, that because you do not on a fudden find that Strength or Affiftance which you expected when you prayed for it, that therefore God hath no Kindness for you, or that he will not answer your Prayers. Much less are you to reafon thus with your felf: God knows that I want the Affiftance of his Spirit to overcome my vicious Affections, and he knows that I heartily defire it, and he knows that I have more than once prayed for it, and therefore to what purpose should I be farther troublefome to him with my Prayers? No, this is never the Way to obtain what we defire; let us rather redouble our Devotions; let us rather continue to knock more earnestly and more importunately at the Gate of Mercy for the Supply of our Wants. If we ufe this Method, if we thus with Zeal and Diligence and Patience keep waiting upon God, there is no manner of doubt but that he will at laft fulfil the Defires of our Souls, and give us fuch a Measure of his Grace and Spirit, as fhall enable us to conquer all Difficulties, to overcome all Temptations, and to vanquish every Luft, every Corruption that can make Head against us.

Some

Some perhaps may be apt to wonder why God fhould require this Importunity we fpeak of as a Condition of his anfwering our Prayers; why he should not as well grant our Request at the first time of our putting them up, if we put them up ferioufly and heartily, as after many Repetitions of them. But the Answer is eafy: for the fame Reason that God requires us to pray at all, in order to the obtaining his Benefits, for the fame Reason it is neceffary we fhould pray with Fervency and Conftancy; his Goodness is fuch that he would fupply us with every thing we stand in need of without Praying, were it not that Praying is good for us; that he fees we receive many Advantages thereby, befides the obtaining the direct Bleffing we pray for; and therefore it is that he hath fo indifpenfably ordered it. We do not pray to inform God of our Wants, or to perfuade him by our Arguments to fupply them: But God hath therefore obliged us to pray, because it is eternally reasonable, and makes much to the improving in us all thofe Qualities, in which the Perfection of our Natures doth confift, that we should continually depend upon him for every good Thing we need; of which Dependance Prayer is the proper Expreffion.

Indeed, if we confidered well, we fhould find the Benefits that come to us by Prayer (without taking the granting or answering

of our Prayers into the Confideration) are ineftimable. Prayer raifeth up our Souls above this World, and makes them capable of the Communications and Impreffions of the Divine Nature. It is the most natural Means in the World to allay all troublesome Paffions, to revive and ftrengthen all good Purposes and Refolutions, to fill the Mind with Joy, and Peace, and Confolation, in all Circumftances and Conditions of Life. Laftly, it is the best Exercife of all thofe Virtues and Graces that we have, as well as it is the proper Means and Inftrument for the getting those we have not.

Since now all thefe good Ends are ferved. by Prayer, all thefe Benefits are attained by it, it cannot be thought unreasonable that God fhould require that this Prayer should be fervent and conftant. Nay, if God had not required it, Reafon muft tell us that it ought to be fo, fince all the aforefaid Ends will thereby be the better ferved; all the aforefaid Benefits will be thereby obtained in a greater Degree and Proportion.

But I proceed to the Second Condition which God requires in our Prayers, in order to their being effectual, and that is, that we ask in Faith.

This is a Condition ordered by our Saviour to his Apoftles, in St. Matthew xxi. 22. All things (faith he) whatsoever ye shall ask in Prayer, believing, ye shall receive. And thus alfo St. James fpeaks to all Chriftians,

in the ft Chapter of his Epiftle, and the 5th and 6th Verfes: If any of you lack Wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all Men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him. But let bim ask in Faith, nothing wavering: for he that wavereth is like a Wave of the Sea driven with the Wind, and toffed; for let not that Man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. The Question here is, what it is to ask believing or to ask in Faith. Is it to ask with a full Perfuafion and Affurance, that that which I pray for shall certainly be granted me? No, certainly, a great many may ask in Faith, that have not this full Affurance or Perfuafion. I must own indeed that to pray in Faith doth fometimes in the new Teftament, fignify to pray with a Confidence that what is prayed for will be granted; and I cannot deny, but that the Words of our Saviour I now quoted in their primary Senfe, and as they were spoken to the Apostles, had a respect to fuch a Faith as this; for he fpoke them upon Occafion of the fudden withering away of the Fig-tree, which he had curfed the Day before at which when the Apostles much marvelled, our Saviour faith to them, If ye have Faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the Fig-tree, but also, if ye shall fay to this Mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou caft into the Sea, it shall be done; and all Things whatfoever ye shall ask in Prayer, believing, ye shall receive. No

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