J. We pray that God will prevent tem- poral evils ; that he will be our screen, to stand between us and danger, Ps. vii. 1., " Save me from them that persecute me." We may lawfully pray against the plots of the wicked, that they may prove abortive, — that, though they have a design upon us, they may not have their desire upon us. Ps. cxli. 9., " Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me."
2. We pray that God will deliver us out of temporal evils, — that he will remove his judgments from us, whether famine, sword, pestilence, Ps. xxxix. 10., " Remove thy stroke away from me." Yet with this
Caution*. We may pray to be delivered from temj)oral evils only so far as God sees it good for us. We may pray to be deliver- ed from the evil of sin absolutely, but we
must pray to be delivered from temporal evils conditionally, so far as God sees it fitting for us, and may stand with his glory.
Use. In all the troubles that lie upon us, let us look up to God for ease and succour. *' Deliver us from evil," Isa. viii. 19., " Should not a people seek unto their God?" To blame then are the papists, who knock at the wrong door ; when they are in any trouble, they pray to the saints to deliver them ; when they are in danger of shipwreck, they pray to St. Nicholas ; when they are in the fit of a fever, they pray to St. Petronelle; when they are in travail, they pray to St. Margaret. How unlawful it is to invocate saints in prayer, I will prove from one sciipture, Rom. x. 14., " Hv>w then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed ?" We may pray to none but such as we believe in ; but we ought not to believe in any saint, therefore we may not j)ray to him. The papists have, in their Lady's psalter, directed their prayers for deliverance to the virgin Mary: " Deliver me, O Lady !" Benedicta Doitnna, in manibus tuis reposita est nostra sains, — ' O thou blessed Lady, in thy hands our salva- tion is laid up.' But " Abraham is ignorant of us," Isa. Ixiii. 16: the saints and virgin Mary are ignorant of us. To pray to saints, is idolatry advanced to blasphemy. Our Saviour hath taught us better, in all our distresses to pray to God for a cure, " De- liver us from evil." lie only knows what our troubles are, and can give us help from trouble ; lie only that laid the burden <»n, can take it off. David went to God, Ps. XXV. 17., " () bring thou me out of my dis- tresses !" (lod can, with a word, heal, Ps. cvii. 20., " He sent forth his word, and healed them." He delivered the three chil- dren out of the fiery furnace, — Joseph out of prison, — Daniel out of the lion's deu ; this proves him to be God, because none can deliver as he doth, Dan. iii. 29., " There is no other God that can deliver after this sort." Let us then, in all our straits and ex- igencies, seek to God, and say, " Deliver us from evil."
END OF THE AUTHOR's LECTURES ON THE CATECHISM.
SERMONS AND TREATISES.
SELECT SERMONS.
SERMON I.
Mat. X. 16., " Be ye therefore wise as serpents^ and harmless as doves'*
1 HE apostle saith, " All scripture is given by inspiration," 2 Tim. iii. 16. God's word is compared to a lamp, for its enlightening quality, Ps. cxix. 105., and to silver refined, for it* enriching quality, Ps. xii. 6. Among other parts of sacred writ, this, in the text, is not the least : " Be ye wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." This is the speech of our blessed SaAnour; his lips were a tree of life which fed many; his works were miracles ; his words were oracles, and de- serve to be engraved upon our hearts as with the point of a diamond. This is a golden sentence ; " Be ye wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." Our Lord Jesus, in this chapter, 1st, Gives his apostles their commission ; 2dly, Foretells their danger ; 3dly, Gives them several instructions.
I. Christ gives his apostles their commis- sion. Before they went abroad to preach, Christ ordains them, ver 5., " These twelve Jesus sent forth." Those who exercise in the ministerial function must have a lawful call, Ileb. V. 4., " No man takes this hon- our to liimself, but he that is called of God." Christ gave not only the apostles and pro- phets a call to their office, (who were ex- traordinary ministers) but even " pastors and teachers," Eph. iv, 11.
Quest. But if one have gifts, is not this siifficic7it to the ministerial office ?
Ans. No : As grace is not sufficient to make a minister, so neither is gifts ; there- fore it is observable, that the scripture puts a ditfcrence between gifting and sending, Rom. X. 15., " How shall they preach un- less they be sent ?" If gifts were enough to constitute a minister, the apostle should have said, " How shall they preach unless j