SERMO^-S UPOX I THESSALOXIAXS Y. 16. 48 9
bopeless ; you may have comfort upon God's terms, mournincr for sin that sin may be made bitter to you, and you may not hazSrd your peace for trifles another time; and putting yom- business into the bands of your Eedeemer, the advocate must make your peace for vou '
T nu'- : i ^°-T ™'''' ^'°' ^^ ^^^® a^ advocate with the Father' Jesus Christ the righteous.' *
SEEMON UPON 1 THESSALONIANS V. 17.
Fray loitJiout ceasing. — 1 Thes. v. 17.
In the words we have — (1.) A duty, pray ; (2.) The continuance of the duty, always, aStaXeYTrrco? ; from both observe —
Boct That constant and frequent prayer to God is a duty required <5f christians.
In handHng this doctrine I shall show —
(1.) What prayer is ; (2.) How it is to be carried on without ceas- ing ; (3.) The reasons of the doctrine.
I. What prayer is ; and here I shall speak — (1.) Of the nature of prayer ; (2.) Of the several kinds of it.
First, For the nature of prayer. ' Prayer is the offering up of our desires to God, in the name of Christ, for such things as are agreeable to his will'
1. It is an offering up of our desires. Desires are the soul and life of prayer, words are but the body. Now as the body without the soul is dead, so are prayers unless they are animated with our desires : Ps. X. 17, * Lord, thou ha«t heard the desire of the humble.' God heareth not words, but desires.
2. These desires are offered unto God, or brought before the Lord in this solemn way : Zeph. iii. 10, ' My suppliants, even the daughters of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering ; ' that is, shall reverently express their desires to God. An offering was either a sacrifice, and prayer is a spiritual sacrifice : 1 Peter ii. 5, ' Ye are an holy priest- hood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.' As a man did then present himself and his offering before the Lord, so do we present ourselves and our desires, and pour out our hearts before him. Or an offering might be the mincah, or meat-offering, which was baked or fried in a pan, and then presented to the Lord : Ps. xlv. 1, 'My heart inditeth a good matter;' not raw indigested services must be performed to God, such as are the eructations of the flesh ; or incense was offered to the Lord : ' Let my prayer be set before thee as incense,' Ps, cxli. 2. And we read of ' Vials full of odours, which are the prayers of the saints,' Kev. v. 8. Incense was a mixture of sweet spices, which, being set on fire, the fumes thereof ascended into heaven ; so do our holy and ardent desires ascend unto God.
3. They are desires presented in the name of Christ, in whom alone we are acceptable to God : John xvi. 23, ' Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.'
492 SERMON UPON I THESSALONIANS V. 17.
4. They are desires of things agreeable to the will of God : 1 John V. 14, ' And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.' All our desires must be regulated by his revealed will, and subordinated to his secret will, so far as God seeth it fit for his glory and our good ; for upon other terms he is not bound to us.
Secondly, The kinds of prayer, so there are sundry distinctions.
1. There is mental prayer : Exod. xiv. 15, ' Wherefore criest thou unto me ? ' ]\Ioses cried unto the Lord, and yet no words are men- tioned. And vocal prayer : Ps. v. 3, ' My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, 0 Lord ; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.' When prayers are put into language, or formalised into some outward expression. Again —
2. "There is sudden and ejaculatory prayer ; as Neh. ii. 4, ' The king said unto me, For what dost thou make request ? so I prayed unto the God of heaven.' That is, some sudden dart of prayer, such as, 'Prosper, I pray, thy servant ; ' lifting up his heart in a sudden desire to God, to direct or give success to his petition. And solemn prayer, and of greater length : Eom. xv. 30, ' That ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me ; ' which words imply a prayer full of earnest I^leadings.
3. There are public or church prayers: 1 Tim. ii. 1, 2, 'I exhort therefore that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings, and for all that are in authority ; ' where he giveth directions how the prayers of their public assemblies should be ordered. And private or family prayer: Acts X. 2, Cornelius is said to be * a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, and gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always ; ' that is, a man that worshij^ped God with his family, as good men use to do. And it is said, 1 Chron. xvi. 43, that David, after public services, ' returned to bless his house ; ' that is, to pray for his family, as he had done for the people before. And secret and closet prayer, concerning which Christ giveth direction: 'When thou prayest, enter into thy closet,' Mat. vi. 6. Again —