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SERMON XV.

Preached before the

KING,

At St. JAMES's

March the Thirteenth, 1697.

LUKE Xviii. 1.

And befpake a Parable unto them, to this End, That Men ought always to pray, and not to faint.

HE Parable which our Saviour spake unto them to this End, was this; There was in a City a Judge, who feared not God, nor regarded Men; and there was a Widow in that City, and he came to him faying, Avenge me of my Adverfary; and he would not for a while: But afterwards he faid within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard Man, yet becaufe this Widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, left by her continual coming fhe weary me.

The Application of this Parable is eafie and natural. If a Man that neither fears God, nor regards Men; hath neither Senfe of Religion nor Humanity; may be fuppofed to be fo far prevail'd upon by the earnest Prayer of a mifera

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ble neceffitous Perfon, as to grant the Requeft made to him, and to adminifter Relief to the Supplicant, merely upon Account of the Continuance, and Importunity of the Petitions that are put up; then how much more ought we to think that God, who is Infinite Goodness itfelf; who is always kind and bountiful to his Creatures; who delights to do Good to them, even without their feeking and defiring it; and who is fo far from being at any Pains or Trouble for the fupplying their Wants, that it is altogether as eafie for him to do what is requested of him, as not to do it: I fay, How much more ought we to think, that this God, upon our earneft and hearty Prayer to him for any Thing we ftand in need of, will return ush kind Anfwer, and grant us fuch Supplies as are proper for us. But then we are to remember, that we Pray always, and faint not. be diligent, and importunate, and perfevering in our Devotions, otherwife we are not to expect any more favourable Return of them, than the Judge in the Parable made to the Widow upon her once or twice putting up her Petitions to him.

We must

This is the Effect of the Parable. I mean not now farther to infift on it, but to ftick to that Point, for the fake of which, our Saviour framed it: Jefus fpake a Parable unto them to this End, That Men ought always to pray, and not to faint.

But what is meant by praying always, and not fainting, which our Lord here obliges us to? Is it to be always on your Knees, and to mind no other Bufinefs but Devotion? So indeed

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(they fay) fome of ancient Times expounded it; but we meet with them no where, but in the Catalogues of the Hereticks: No certainly, to pray always, and not to faint, doth imply a quite different Thing, of which I fhall give ah Account in the following Particulars.

First, Thefe Words import, that we should be always in a praying Temper, in fuch a Difpofition of Mind, that we always carry about us, and have within us the neceffary Requifites of hearty Prayer; that is to fay, a firm Belief of God and his Providence, a lively Sense of our own Sinfulness and Weaknefs, and manifold Neceffities; and an entire, humble conftant Dependance upon the Divine Goodness for the Supply of them. In fuch a Frame of Soul as this, I take that Spirit of Prayer and Supplication, mentioned in the Scriptures, to confift. Secondly, To pray always, likewife imports, That upon every folemn Occafion, we fhould actually addrefs ourfelves to God, feeking Help from him in all the Straits and Difficulties we happen into; rendring our Acknowledgments for every Good that arrives to us in our Lives; and imploring his Protection, his Guidance, his Bleffing upon us, in every Work of Moment that we go about.

Thirdly, It imports farther, that we should, at least, twice every Day, either in publick, or in private, offer up the Sacrifice of Prayer and Praife in a folemn manner unto God. Lefs than this (I think) this Phrafe of Praying always, as likewife that other Expreffion of St. Paul, that we fhould pray without ceafing: lefs Theff. than this, I say, they cannot fignifie; but how 5. 17.

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much

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much more, I now enquire not. It is, indeed, very probable, as Interpreters have noted, that thefe Expreffions are borrowed from, and have refpect to the daily Sacrifices among the Jews, Every Day twice (that is to fay, in the Morning, and in the Evening) by the Appointment of God, was offer'd up a Sacrifice in the Temple; to which the Devout People reforted: Which Sacrifice is in Scripture cal led by the Name of the continual Sacrifice; the daily Sacrifice; the never-ceafing Sacrifice; and this in Contra-diftinction to the occafional Sacrifices, which pious Perfons use to bring thi ther. If now this be a true Account of thefe Expreffions, we cannot be said to pray always, to pray without ceafing, to pray continually, unlefs we do, at leaft, twice every Day, in the Morning, and in the Evening, offer up our folemn Sacrifice of Prayer to God;

But Fourthly, To pray always, and not to faint, implies great Earnestness and Importunity in our Prayers: It imports that we fhould not faintly addrefs to God, but with Affection and Fervour; with a deep Senfe of our Sins, and of our Wants; and a serious and fixed Attention to what we are about; and with very ardent Defires, and hungring and thirfting after that Grace, or that Pardon, or that Bleffing that we pray for. And this is that kind of Prayer, which Ch. 5. 16. St. James ftyles the effectual fervent Prayer of a righteous Man, which, he faith, availeth much.

Laftly, To pray always, and not to faint, imports Continuance and Perfeverance in our Prayers That we do not pray by Fits and Starts, and then intermit our Devotion; but conftantly

keep

keep up the Fervour of our Minds towards God: Not giving over our Prayers, tho' we have not a Return of them fo foon as we expect; but continuing inftant in Prayer, as the Apostle fpeaks, and watching thereunto with all Rom. 12. Perfeverance.

These are the chief Things which are comprized in this Command of our Saviour. Now to recommend the Practice hereof to you, and to offer fome Arguments, to perfwade every one thus to pray always, and not to faint, is that which I defign in the remaining Part of this Difcourfe.

I do not know how it comes to pass, that Men have generally fo great an Averfion to this Duty of Prayer. They are very hardly got to it; they are glad of any Pretence in the World to be excufed from it. And when they do come to perform their Devotions, (which, among many, is not oftner than the Laws or Customs of the Country oblige them to) how foon are they weary of them! How little do they attend to the Business they are about! As if indeed Prayer was one of the greatest Burthens that God could lay upon Human Nature. Whereas in Truth, if our Lufts and Paffions were out of the way, and Men could be brought to give themselves the Liberty of confidering Things equally; we fhould be convinced that there is no Work that a Man can apply himself to; no Action that he can perform, to which there are greater Invitations, greater Motives; nay, I was going to fay, greater Temptations of all forts, than to this of Prayer.

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Suppofe

12.

Eph. 6.18.

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