Pfal. cxlvii. 10, 11. O what terms of endearedness doth God use towards his people! Doth not all this fpeak them to be in fpecial favour with him? Which of all these alone, doth not fignify a perfon highly in favour with God?

Secondly, The gracious manner in which he treats them upon the throne of grace, to which he allows them to come with boldness, Heb. iv. 16. This alfo fpeaks them in the fpecial favour of God: he allows them to come to him in prayer, with the liberty, confidence, and filial boldness of children to a father; Gal. iv. 6. "Because ye are fons, God hath fent forth "the fpirit of his fon into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father;" the familiar voice of a dear child: yea, which is a wonderful condefcenfion of the great God to poor worms of the earth, he faith, Ifa. xlv. 11. " Thus faith the Lord, the holy One of If"rael, and his maker, ask me of things to come concerning "my fons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye "me:" an expreffion fo full of grace, and special favour to believers, that it needs great caution in reading and understanding fuch an high and aftonishing expreffion, the meaning is, that God hath, as it were, fubjected the works of his hands to the prayers of his faints; and it is as if he had said, if my glory, and your neceffity fhall require it, do but afk me in prayer, and whatever my Almighty Power can do, I will do it for you. However, let no favourite of heaven forget the infinite distance betwixt himself and God. Abraham was a great favourite of heaven, and was called the friend of God; yet fee with what hu mility of fpirit, and reverential awe he addreffeth to God, Gen, xviii. 27. "Behold now I have taken upon me to speak unto the "Lord, which am but duft and afhes." So that you fee the titles of favour above-mentioned are no empty titles.

Thirdly, God's readiness to grant, as well as their liberty to afk, fpeaks them the fpecial favourites of God. The heart of God is fo propense, and ready, to grant the defires of believers, that it is but ask and have, Mat. vii. 7. The door of grace is opened by the key of prayer. That is a favourite indeed, to whom the king gives a blank to infert what request he will: " If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it fhall be done unto you," John xv, 7. O bleffed liberty of the fons of God! David did but fay, "Lord, "turn the counfel of Ahitophel into foolishness," and it was done as foon as asked. 2 Sam. xv. 31. Joshua did but say, "thou fun ftand ftill in Gibeon," and a miraculous stop was prefently put to its swift motion in the heavens; nay, which is wonderful to confider, a prayer, yet unborn, I mean conceived

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in the heart, and not yet uttered by the lips of believers, is often anticipated by the propen fivenefs of free grace, Ifa. lxv. 24. And it shall come to pass, that before they call I will answer, " and whilft they are yet fpeaking I will hear." The prayers of others are rejected as an abomination, Prov. xv. 8. God cafts them back into their faces, Mal. ii. 3. But free grace figus the petitions of the faints more readily than they are prefented: we have not that freedom to ask, that God hath to give it is true, the answer of a believer's prayers may be a long time fufpended from his fenfe and knowledge; but every prayer, according to the will of God, is prefently granted in heaven, though, for wife and holy ends, they may be held in a doubtful fufpenfè about them upon earth.

Fourthly, The free difcoveries of the fecrets of God's heart to believers, speak them to be his special favourites: men open not the counfels and fecrets of their own hearts to enemies, or ftrangers; but to their most inward and intimate friends: "The "fecret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he will "fhew them his covenant," Pfal. xxv. 14. When God was about to deftroy Sodom, he would do nothing in that work of Judgment 'till he had acquainted Abraham his friend, with his purpose therein, Gen. xviii. 17. "And the Lord faid, Shall I "hide from Abraham that thing which I do? For I know

him," &c. So when a king was to be elected for Ifrael, and the person whom God had chofen, was yet unknown to the people, God, as it were, whifpered that fecret unto Samuel the day before, 1 Sam. ix. 15. "Now the Lord had told Samuel "in his ear a day before Saul came :" according to the manner of princes with fome special favourite.

Fifthly, The Lord's receiving every small thing that comes from them with grace and favour, when he rejects the greatest things offered by others, doth certainly befpeak believers the fpecial favourites of God. There was but one good word in a whole fentence from Sarah, and that very word is noted and commended by God, 1 Pet. iii. 6. "She called him Lord." There were but fome fmall beginnings, or buddings of grace in young Abijah, and the Lord took fpecial notice thereof, 1 Kings xiv. 13"Because in him there is found fome good thing toward "the Lord God of Ifrael, in the houfe of Jeroboam." Let this be an encouragement to young ones, in whom there are found any breathing defires after Chrift: God will not reject them if any fincerity be found in them; a fecret groan, uttered to God in fincerity, fhall not be defpifed, Rom. viii. 26. The very Dent of a believer's will, when he had no more to offer un

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SERM. XVIL to God, is an acceptable prefent, 2. Cor. viii. 11. The very intent, and purpose that lie fecretly in the heart of a believer, not yet executed, are accepted with him, 1 Kings viii. 18. "Where

as it was in thine heart to build an houfe to my name, thou "didst well that it was in thine heart." Thus finall things offered to God by believers find acceptance with him, whilst the greatest presents, even folemn affemblies, fabbaths, and prayers from others are rejected: "They are a trouble unto me (faith "God); I am weary to bear them," Ifa. i. 14, 15. “Incense "from Sheba, the fweet cane from a far country" are not acceptable, nor facrifices fweet unto God from other hands, Jer. vi. 20. From all which it appears, beyond doubt, that the perfons and duties of believers are accepted in the special favour of God by Jefus Chrift: which was the fecond thing to be spoken to, and brings us to the third general, viz.

Thirdly, How Chrift, the beloved, procures this benefit for believers? And this he doth four ways.

First, By the fatisfaction of his blood, Rom. v. 10. "When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death "of his Son." No friendship without reconciliation, no reconciliation, but by the blood of Chrift: therefore the new and living way, by which believers come unto God with acceptance, is faid to be confecrated for us through the veil of Christ's flesh; and hence believers have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jefus, Heb. x. 19, 20.

Secondly, The favour of God is procured for believers, by their myftical union with Chrift, whereby they are made “members "of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones," Eph. v. 30. So that as Adam's pofterity ftood upon the fame terms that he, their natural head, did; fo believers, Chrift's myftical members, stand in the favour of God, by the favour which Chrift their spiritual head hath, John xvii. 33. "I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that "thou haft fent me, and haft loved them as thou haft loved me.” Thirdly, Believers are brought into favour with God by Chrift becoming their altar, upon which their perfons and duties are all offered up to God: The altar fanctifies the gift, Heb. xiii. 10. And this was typified by the legal rite mentioned Luke i. 9, 10. Chrift is that golden altar from whence all the prayers of the faints afcend to the throne of God, perfumed with the odours, and incense of his merits, Rev. viii. 34. “And another angel came "and stood at the altar, having a golden cenfer, and there was given unto him much incenfe that he should offer it, with the “ prayers of all faints upon the golden altar which was before

"the throne; and the fmoke of the incenfe which came with "the prayers of the faints afcended up before God out of the "angel's hand." And thus you fee how the perfons, and duties of believers are brought into favour and acceptance with God by Jefus Chrift. The ufes follow.

Infer 1, If all believers be in favour with God, how great a mercy is it to have the prayers of fuch engaged on our behalf? Would we have our bufinefs fpeed in heaven, let us get into favour with God ourselves, and engage the prayers of his people, the favourites of heaven, for us: Vis unita fortior, one believer can do much, many can do more: when Daniel defigned to get the knowledge of that fecret, hinted in the obfcure dream of the king, which none but the God of heaven could make known, it is faid, Dan. ii. 17. "Then Daniel went to his house, and "made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, "his companions; that they would defire mercies of the God "of heaven concerning this fecret." The benefits of fuch affiftance in prayer by the help of other favourites with God, is plainly intimated by Jesus Christ to us, Mat. xviii. 19. “If two

of you fhall agree on earth as touching any thing that they "shall afk, it fhall be done for them of my Father which is in "heaven." God fometimes ftands upon a number of voices, for the carrying of fome public mercy, because he delighteth in the harmony of many praying fouls; and alfo loves to oblige and gratify many in the answer, and return of the fame prayer. I know this ufage is grown too formal, and complemental among profeffors: but certainly it is a great advantage to be fincere with them, who are fo with God. St. Bernard prefcribing rules for effectual prayer, closes them up with this with, et cum talis fueris, memento mei, when thy heart is in this frame, then remember me.

Infer. 2. If believers be fuch favourites in heaven, in what a defperate condition is that cause, and those perfons, against whom the generality of believers are daily engaged in prayers and cries to heaven?

Certainly Rome fhall feel the dint, and force of the many millions of prayers that are gone up to heaven, from the faints, for many generations: the cries of the blood of the martyrs of Je fus, joined with the cries of thousands of believers, will bring down vengeance at last upon the man of fin. It is faid, Rev. viii. 4, 5, 6. "That the smoke of the incenfe which came with "the prayers of the faints, afcended up before God out of the angel's hand:" And immediately it is added, ver. 5. “And "the angel took the cenfer, and filled it with fire of the altar,

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SERM. XVII. "and cast it into the earth, and there were voices, and thunder

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ings, and lightnings, and earthquakes, and the feven angels, "which had the feven trumpets, prepared themselves to found." The prayer of a fingle faint is fometimes followed with wonderful effects, Pfal. xviii. 6, 7. “In my distress I called upon the "Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears: then "the earth fhook and trembled; the foundation also of the hills "moved and were shaken, because he was wroth :" what then can a thundering legion of fuch praying forts do? It was faid of Luther, Ifte vir potuit cum Deo quicquid voluit that man could have of God what he would; his enemies felt the weight of his prayers, and the church of God reaped the benefits thereof. The queeen of Scots profeffed, fhe was more afraid of the prayers of Mr. Knox *, than of an army of ten thousand men: these were mighty wrestlers with God, however contemned and vilified among their enemies. There will a time come, when God will hear the prayers of his people, who are continually crying in his ears, How long? Lord, how long?

Infer. 3. Let no believer be dejected at the contempts and flightings of men, fo long as they stand in the grace and fa vour of God. It is the lot of the best men to have the worl ufage in the world: thofe of whom the world was not worthy, were not thought worthy to live in the world, Heb. xi. 38. Paul and his companions were men of choice and excellent fpirits; yet faith he, 1 Cor. iv. 12. "Being defamed, we intreat; we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring "of all things unto this day." They are words fignifying the bafeft, moft contemptible, and abhorred things among men. How are heaven and earth divided in their judgments and efti mations of the faints? Thofe whom men call filth and dirt, God calls a peculiar treasure, a crown of glory, a royal dia dem. But trouble not thyself, believer, for the unjust cenfures of the blind world; they fpeak evil of the things they know not: "He that is fpiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself "is judged of no man," 1 Cor. ii. 14. You can difcern the earthlinefs and bafenefs of their fpirits, they want a faculty to difcern the excellency and choicenefs of your fpirits: he that carries a dark lantern in the night, can difcern him that comes against him, and yet is not difcerned by him. A courtier regards not a

* Jacobus Songius, the Sorbonne doctor, who wrote the lives of Luther, Knox and Calvin, fpeaks as if the devil had hired his pen to abuse those precious fervants of Chrift.