DISCOURSE VI.

OF EXTEMPORE-PRAYER.

ECCLES. v. 2.

Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God; for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth; therefore let thy words be few.

We have here the wisest of men instructing us how to behave ourselves before God in his own house; and particularly when we address him in the most important of all duties, prayer. Solomon had the honour to be spoken to by God himself, and therefore, in all likelihood, none more fit to teach us how to speak to God:-a great privilege, certainly, for dust and ashes to be admitted to; and therefore it will concern us to manage it so, that in these our approaches to the King of heaven, his goodness may not cause us to forget his greatness, nor (as it is but too usual for subjects to use privilege against prerogative) his honour suffer by his condescension.

In the words we have these three things observable. 1. That whosoever appears in the house of God, particularly in the way of prayer, ought to reckon himself, in a more especial manner, placed in the presence of God. 2. That the infinite distance between God and him, ought to create in him all imaginable awe, in such

his addresses to God. 3. That this reverence required of him is to consist in a serious preparation of his thoughts, and a sober government of his expressions: Neither is his mouth to be rash, nor his heart to be hasty, in uttering any thing before God.

These things are evidently contained in the words, and do as evidently contain the whole sense of them. But I shall gather them all into this one proposition; namely, that Premeditation of Thought and Brevity of Expression, are the great ingredients of that reverence that is required to an acceptable and devout prayer.

For the better handling of which, we will, in the first place, consider how it is, that Prayer prevails with God, for the obtaining of the things we pray for. Concerning which, I shall lay down this general rule, that the way, by which prayer prevails with God, is wholly different from that, by which it prevails with men. And to give you this more particularly,

First of all, it prevails not with God by way of information. With men indeed, this is the common, and with wise men the chief, and should be the only way of obtaining what we ask of them. We lay before them our wants and the misery of our condition: which being made known to them, the quality and condition of the thing asked for, and of the persons who ask it, induces them to do that for us which we petition for. But it is not so in our addresses to God; for he knows our wants and our conditions better than we ourselves: He is beforehand with all our prayers. Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. Thou understandest my thoughts afar off. And how then can he, who is but of yesterday, suggest any thing new to that eternal Mind! How can ignorance inform Omniscience!

Secondly, Neither does prayer prevail with God by way of persuasion, or working upon the affections. This indeed is the most usual and most effectual way to prevail with men; who, for the generality, are one part

reason, and nine parts affection. So that one of a voluble tongue and a dextrous insinuation may do what he will with vulgar minds, and with wise men too, at their weak times. But God, who is as void of passion or affection, as he is of corporeity, is not to be dealt with this way. He values not our rhetoric, nor our pathetical harangues. He who applies to God, applies to an infinite, almighty Reason, the first Mover, and therefore not to be moved, or wrought upon himself. In all passion the mind suffers, (as the very signification of the word imports,) but absolute, entire perfection cannot suffer; it is and must be immoveable, and by consequence impassible.

And therefore in the Third place, much less is God to be prevailed upon by importunity, and, as it were, wearying him into a concession of what we beg of him. Though with men, we know, this also is not unusual. A notable instance of which we have in Luke xviii. where the unjust judge, being with a restless vehemence sued to for justice, says thus within himself: Though I fear not God, nor regard man, yet because this widow troubleth me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

In like manner, how often are beggars relieved only for their rude importunity, and not that the person who relieves them is thereby informed or satisfied of their real want, nor yet moved to pity them by all their cry and cant, but to rid himself from their vexatious din; so that to purchase his quiet by a little alms, he gratifies the beggar, but indeed relieves himself. But now, this way is farther from prevailing with God, than either of the former. For as Omniscience is not to be informed, so neither is Omnipotence to be wearied. We may much more easily think to clamour the sun and stars out of their courses, than to word the great Creator of them out of the steady purposes of his own will, by all the vehemence and loudness of our petitions. Men may tire themselves with their own pray

ers, but God is not to be tired. The rapid motion and whirl of things here below, interrupts not the inviolable rest and calmness of the noble beings above. While the winds roar and bluster here in the first and second regions of the air, there is a perfect serenity in the third. Men's desires cannot control God's de

crees.

And thus I have shown, that the three ways by which men prevail with men, in their applications to them, have no place at all, in giving any efficacy to their addresses to God.

But you will ask then, upon what account is it, that prayer becomes prevalent with God, so as to procure us the good things we pray for? I answer upon this; that it is the fulfilling of that condition, upon which God has freely promised to convey his blessings to men. God, of his own good will and pleasure, has thought fit to fix upon this, as the means by which he will answer the wants of mankind. As, suppose a prince should declare to any one of his subjects, that if he shall appear before him every morning in his bed-chamber, he shall receive of him a thousand talents. We must not here imagine, that the subject, by making this appearance, does either move or persuade his prince to give him such a sum of money; no, he only performs the condition of the promise, and thereby acquires a right to the thing promised. He does indeed hereby engage his prince to give him this sum, though he does by no means persuade him; or rather, to speak more strictly, the prince's own veracity is an engagement upon the prince himself, to make good his promise to him who fulfils the conditions of it.

And thus having shown how prayer operates towards the obtaining of the divine blessings; namely, as a condition appointed by God for that purpose, and no otherwise; we shall now infer also, upon what account the highest reverence of God is so indispensably

required of us in prayer, and all sort of irreverence so diametrically opposite to the very nature of it. And it will appear to be upon this, that in what degree any one lays aside his reverence of God, in the same he also quits his dependence upon him: Forasmuch as in every irreverent act, a man treats God as if he had indeed no need of him, and behaves himself as if he stood upon his own bottom, absolute and self-sufficient. This is the natural language, the true signification of all irreverence.

Now in all addresses, either to God or man, by speech, our reverence to them must consist of, and show itself in, these two things.

First, A careful regulation of our thoughts, that are to dictate and to govern our words; which is done by Premeditation: And, Secondly, a due ordering of our words, that are to proceed from and to express our thoughts; which is done by Pertinence and Brevity of expression.

David, directing his prayer to God, joins these two together, as the two great, integral parts of it, in Psalm xix. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord. So that, it seems, his prayer adequately and entirely consisted of those two things, meditation and expression, as it were, the matter and form of that noble composure. There being no mention at all of distortion of face, sanctified grimace, solemn wink, or foaming at the mouth, and the like; all which are circumstances of praver of a later date, and brought into request by those fantastic zealots, who had a way of praying, as astonishing to the eyes as to the ears of those that heard them.

I. Well then, the first ingredient of a pious and reverential prayer is a previous Regulation of the Thoughts, as the text expresses it most emphatically; Let not thy heart be hasty to utter any thing before God; that is, in other words, let it not venture to