Inf. 1. If all believers be in favour with God, how great a mercy is it to have the prayers of such engaged on our behalf? Would we have our business speed in heaven, let us get into the favour of God ourselves, and engage the prayers of his people, the favourites of heaven for us. Vis unitafortior, one believer can do much, many can do more : When Daniel designed to get the knowledge of that
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secret, hinted in the obscure dream of the king, which none but the God of heaven could make known, it is said, Dan. ii. 17. " Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known un- " to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions ; that they " would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this " secret." The benefit of such assistance 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 shall agree on earth as touching " any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my " Father which is in heaven." God sometimes stands upon a number of voices, for the carrying of some public mercy, because he defighteth in the harmony of many praying souls; and also loves to oblige and gratify many in the answer and return of the same prayer. I know this usage is grown too formal and comple- mental among professors ; but certainly it is a great advantage to be sincere with them who are so with God. St. Bernard, prescribing rules for effectual prayer, closes them up with this wish, et cum talis fueris, momento mei, when thy heart is in this frame, then remem- ber me.
Inf. 2. If believers be such favourites in heaven, in what a desper- ate condition is that cause and those persons, against whom the gen- erality qf believers are daily engaged in prayers and cries to heaven P
Certainly Rome shall feel the dint and force of the many mil- lions of prayers that are gone up to heaven from the saints for many generations ; the cries of the blood of the martyrs of Jesus, joined with the cries of thousands of believers, will bring down vengeance at last upon the man of sin. It is said, Rev. viii. 4, 5, 6. " That the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers " of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's " hand :" And immediately it is added, ver. 5. " And the angel u took the censer and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it " into the earth, and there were voices, and thunderings, and " lightnings, and earthquakes ; and the seven angels, which had €i the seven trumpets, prepared themselves to sound.'" The prayer of a single saint is sometimes followed with wonderful effects, Psal. xviii. 6, 7. " In my distress I called upon the Lord, and I " cried unto my God : he heard my voice out of his temple, 44 and my cry came before him, even into his ears : then the earth " shook and trembled ; the foundation also of the hills moved and u were shaken, because he was wroth :" what then can a thunder- ing legion of such praying souls do ? It was said of Luther, Iste 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 benefit thereof. The queen if Scots
SERM. XVII. THE METHOD OF GRACE. 267
professed she 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
inf. 3. Let mo believer be dejected at the contempts and slightings of men, so long as they stand in the grace and favour of God. It is the lot of the best men to have the worst usage in the world : those 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 spirits; yet, saith 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 signifying the basest, most contemptible, and ab« horred things among men. How are heaven and earth divided in their judgments and estimations of the saints ? Those whom men call filth and dirt, God calls a peculiar treasure, a crown of glory, a royal diadem. But trouble not thyself, believer, for the unjust censures of the blind world ; they speak evil of the things they know not : " He that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself " is judged of no man," 1 Cor. ii. 14. You can discern the earthliness and baseness of their spirits : they want a faculty to dis- cern the excellency and choiceness of your spirits : he that carries a dark lantern in the night can discern him that comes against him, and yet is not discerned by him. A courtier regards not a slight in the country, so long as he hath the ear and favour of his prince.
Inf. 4. Never let believers fear the want of any good thing ne- cessary for them in this world. The favour of God is the fountain of all blessings, provisions, protections, even of all that you need. He hath promised that he will withhold no good thing from them that walk uprightly, Psal. lxxxiv. 11. He that is bountiful to his ene- mies will not withhold what is good from his friends. The favour of God will not only supply your needs, but protect your persons, Psal. v. 12. " Thou wilt bless the righteous, with favour wilt thou " compass him as with a shield."
Iff. 5. Hence also it follows, that the sins of believers are very piercing things to the heart of God. The unkindness of those whom he hath received into his very bosom, upon whom he hath set his special favour and delight, who are more obliged to him than all the people of the earth beside, O this wounds the very heart of God. What a melting expostulation was that which the Lord
* Jacobus Songius, the Sorbonne doctor, who wrote the lives of Luther, Knox, and Calvin, speaks as if the devil had hired his pen to abuse those precious servants of Christ.
268 THE METHOD OF GRACE. SERM. XVII.