when his crown and kingdom are gone ; but God cannot be a God except he be glorious ; neither can he be glorious unless he be holy, just, merciful, and faith- ful, &c. Now, that his glory may be seen and displayed is the great end he propounds, both in making and ordering of the world : Prov. xvi. 4, ' The Lord hath made all things for himself.' If there were any one occurrence in the world which could be no way conducible to the glory of God, it would make his being to be questioned. But the all-wise God hath so made and ordered all his creatures, with their actions, that the manifestation of his glory is the result of all. Indeed, he forceth it from some, and takes it as princes do their taxes from disobedient subjects : thus the very wrath of his enemies shall praise him, Psa. Ixxvi. 10. But he expects the saints should be active instruments to glorify him, and, like loyal subjects, pay him the tribute of his praise freely, with acclamations of joy and gratitude; and that they may, he issueth out his mercies in such a way as may best suit their duty, and that is to give the good things he hath purposed and promised to them upon their luunble address in prayer to him. Now, two ways the glory of God is secured by this means. First, The saint, in the very duty of prayer, when he performs it in a proper manner, doth highly glorify God. Prayer is a channel of grace, for the convey- ing and deriving blessings from God into our bosoms: so a means of worship, whereby we are to do our homage to God, and give him the glory of his Deify : by this we give him the glory of his power. Prayer is an humble appeal from our impotency to God's omnipotence. No one begs that at another's door which he hath himself at home; and if we thought not God able, we would go to another. We give him the glory of his sovereignty and dominion, and acknow- ledge that he is not only able to procure for us what we ask, but can give us a right to, and the blessing of, what he gives : therefore Christ closeth his prayer with, ' Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory,' &c., as a reason why we direct our prayers to God, because he alone is the Sovereign Lord that can invest us in, and give us title to, any enjoyment. So that it is high treason against the crown and dignity of God when we either attempt to possess ourselves of any enjoyment without praying to him, or when we pray religiously to any other besides him. By the first we usurp his sovereignty ourselves: Jer. ii. 31, ' We are lords ; we will come no more unto thee.' And by the second we give away his kingdom and sovereignty to another. This was the devil's drift when he would have had Christ fall down and worship him, that thereby he might acknowledge him to have the rule of the world. Again, by prayer we give him the glory of his free mercy. Men demand a debt; but when we pray, we re- nounce merit. See them opposed. Job ix. 15, ' Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer; but I would make supplication to my Judge.' We might show the same in all the other atti-ibutes ; but this may suffice. And as God, essentially considered, receives by prayer an acknowledgment of his Deity, so every person in the sacred Trinity, — Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, in prayer, are honoured by directing our prayers to God the Father. We honour him as the source and fountain of all grace and mercy ; we honour the Son in presenting our prayers in his name to the Father; and the Holy Ghost receives the honour of that assistance which we acknowledge to receive from him ; for as we pray to the Father through the Son, so by the help of the Spirit.
Secondly, As God is honovu-ed in the very act and exercise of this duty, duly qualified, so by it the Christian is deeply engaged, and sweetly disposed to praise God for, and glorify him with, the mercies he obtains by prayer.
First, In prayer we not only beg mercy of God, but vow praise to God, for the mercies we beg. Prayers are called vows : Psa. Ixi. 5, ' Thou, O God, hast heard my vows ;' that is, my prayers, in which I solenmly vowed praise for the deliverance I begged. It is no prayer where no vow is included. We must not think to bind God and leave ourselves free. God ties himself in the promise to help us ; but the obligation on our part is that we will glorify him ; and upon no other terms doth God give us leave to ask any mercy at his hands, ' Call upon me in tlie day of trouble, I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me,' Psa. 1. 15. Now, what a strong tie doth this lay upon the praying Christian's heart to use the mercies he receives holily, and to wear with thank- fulness what he wins by prayer ! The Christian who would be loth to be taken in a lie to man, will nuich more fear to be found a liar to God ; ' Surely they
(jg2 PRAYING ALWAYS, ETC.