gard the prayers of fuch a one, they are abominable-" The very facrifice of the wicked is abominable." Prov. xiii.

2. Another cafe is, When we will not forgive others. We know it is directly fet down in the Lord's prayer: "Forgive us our trefpaffes, as we forgive them that trespass against us;" and there is further added, ver. 5. " If you forgive not men their trefpaffes, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you." If our hearts tell us we have no difpofition to pardon, be at peace and agreement, then we do but take God's name in vain, when we afk him to forgive our fins, when we continue in envy and malice. In this cafe, God will not regard our prayers; as it is faid, I care not for your prayers, or for any fervice you perform to me: Why?"For your hands are full of blood :" you are unmerciful, of a cruel fierce difpofition, which cannot appear before God rightly, nor humble itself in prayer. If it doth, its own bloody and cruel difpofition will be objected against the prayers, which are not mingled with faith and love, but with wrath and bitterness. Shall I look for mercy, who have no merciful heart myself? Can I hope to find that from God, which others cannot find from me? An unbroken difpofition, which counts pride an ornament, that is cruel and fierce, it cannot go to God in prayer: For whofoever would prevail with God in prayer, must be humble; for our fupplications must come from a loving peaceable difpofition, where there is a refolution against all fin. Neither is it fufficient to avoid grudging and malice against these; but we must look that others have not cause to grudge against us; as it is commanded, Mat. v. 23. "If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there remembereft that thy brother hath ought against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; firft be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." So that if we do not feek reconciliation with men unto whom we have done wrong, God will not be reconciled to us, nor accept any fervice from us.

If then we would have our prayers, and our perfons accepted, or refpected, let us make confcience of that which hath been faid, and not lose fuch a bleffed privilege as this is, that God may regard our prayers. But here may be asked,

How fhall I know whether God regards my prayers or not? Answ.-1. When he grants the thing prayed for, or enlargeth our hearts to pray ftill. It is a greater gift than the thing

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itfelf

itself we beg, to have a fpirit of prayer with a heart enlarged. For as long as the heart is enlarged to prayer, it is a fign that he hath a special regard of us, and will grant our petitions in the best and fittest time.

2. When he answers us in a better and higher kind; as Paul, when he prayed for the taking away the thorn in the flesh, had promises of fufficient grace.

3. When again, he gives us inward peace, though he gives not the thing. As Phil. iv. 7. " In nothing be careful, but in all things let your requests be made to God, with prayer and thanksgiving."

Queft.-But sometimes he doth not answer our requests.

Anf. It is true he doth not: but the peace of God which paffeth all understanding, keeps our hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God. So, though he answers not our prayers in particular, yet he vouchfafes inward peace unto us, affuring us, that it shall go well with us, though not in that particular we beg. beg. And thus, in not hearing their prayers, yet they have their hearts defire, when God's will is made known. Is not this fufficient for a chriftian, either to have the thing, or to have inward peace, with affurance that it shall go better with them than if they had it, with a spirit enlarged to pray, till they have the thing prayed for? If any of thefe be, God refpects our prayers.

Again, in that Chrift is thus ready to come unto his garden, upon the church's invitation, we may further obferve, that

Chrift vouchfafes his gracious prefence to his children, upon their defire of it.

The point is clear-from the beginning of the world, the church hath had the prefence of Chrift always: For, either he hath been present in facrifices, or in fome other things, figns of his prefence-as in the buth, or fome more glorious manifeftation of his prefence-the ark, and in the cloud and pillar of fire; and after that, more gloriously in the temple. He hath ever been present with his church in fome fign or evidence of his prefence. He delighted to be with the children of men. Sometimes before that, he affumed a body, and afterwards laid it down again until he came indeed to take our nature upon him, never to leave it again. But here is meant, a fpiritual prefence

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most of all which the church in fome fort ever had, they now defire, and he offers, as being a God hearing prayer. And to instance in one place for all, to fee how ready Chrift hath always been to fhew his presence to the church upon their defire. What elfe is the burden of the 107th Pfalm, but a repetition of God's readiness to shew his prefence in the church, upon their feeking unto him, and unfeigned defire of it, notwithstanding all their manifold provocations of him to anger, which is well fummed up, Pfal. cvi. 43. "Many times did he deliver them, but they provoked him with their counfel, and were brought low for their iniquity. Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry."

It doth not content the church to have a kind of spiritual prefence of Chrift; but, it is carried from defire to defire, till the whole defire be accomplished: For, as there are gradual prefences of Chrift, there are fuitable defires in the church, which rife by degrees. Chrift was prefent, 1. by his gracious fpirit. And then, 2. more graciously prefent in the incarnation, the sweetest time that ever the church had from the beginning of the world, until then. It being the defire of nations, for the defcription of those who lived before his coming, is from the waiting for the confolation of Ifrael, that is, for the first coming of Chrift. And then there is a third, and more glorious prefence of Chrift, that all of us wait for, whereby we are described to be such as wait for the coming of Chrift; for the foul of a christian is never fatisfied until it enjoy the highest degree of Chrift's prefence, which the church knew well enough muft follow in time. Therefore fhe especially defires this fpiritual prefence in a larger and more full measure, which she, in some measure, already had. So then Chrift is graciously present in his church, by his holy fpirit. "I will be with you, (faith he,) unto the end of the world." Mat. xxviii. It is his promife, When I am gone myself, " I will not leave you comfortless;" but leave with you my vicar-general, the Holy Spirit, the comforter, who fhall be always with you. But,

Quest.-How shall we know that Chrift is present in us?

Anfw. To know this, we fhall not need to pull him from heaven, we may know it in the word and facraments, and in the communion of faints; for these are the conveyances whereby he manifefts himself, together with the work of his own gracious. fpirit in us; for as we need not take the fun from heaven to

know

know whether or not it be up, or be day, which may be known by the light, heat, and fruitfulness of the creature: and, as in the fpring, we need not look to the heavens to fee whether the fun be come near us or not; for, looking on the earth, we may fee all green, fresh, lively, ftrong and vigorous. So it is with the prefence of Chrift, we may know he is prefent, by that light which is in the foul, convincing us of better courfes to be taken of a fpiritual life, to know heavenly things, and the difference of them from earthly, and to fet a price upon them. When there is, together with light, a heat above nature, the affections are kindled to love the best things, and to joy in them.

And when, together with Keat, there is ftrength and vigour to carry us to fpiritual duties, framing us to a holy communion with God, and one with another.

And likewife, when there is every way cheerfulness and en. largement of spirit; as it is with the creature when the fun ap. proacheth. For these causes the church defires Chrift, that fhe may have more light, life, heat, vigour, ftrength, and that the may be more cheerful and fruitful in duties. The foul when it is once made fpiritual, doth ftill defire a further and further prefence of Chrift, to be made better and better.

It

What a comfort is this to chriftians, that they have the prefence of Chrift fo far forth, as fhall make them happy, and as the earth will afford. Nothing but heaven (or rather Christ in heaven), itself, will content the child of God. In the mean time, his prefence in the congregation, makes their fouls, as it were, heaven. If the king's prefence, who carries the court with him, makes all places where he is, a court: fo Chrift, he carries a kind of heaven with him; wherefoever he is, his prefence hath with it, life, light, comfort, ftrength and all. For one beam of his countenance will scatter all the clouds of grief whatsoever. is no matter where we be, if Chrift be with us. If with the three children in the fiery furnace, it is no matter, if a fourth be there alfo. So, if Christ be with us, the flames, nor nothing fhall hurt us. If in a dungeon, as Paul and Silas were; if Christ's prefence be there, by his fpirit to enlarge our fouls, all is comfortable whatfoever. It changeth the nature of all things, fweeteneth every thing, befides that sweetness which it brings unto the foul, by the prefence of the fpirit; as we fee in the Acts, "when they had received the Holy Ghost more abundantly," they cared not what they fuffered, regarded not whip

ping; nay, "were glad that they were accounted worthy to fuffer any thing for Chrift." Whence came this fortitude? from the presence of Chrift, and the comforter which he had formerly promised.

So let us have the spirit of Chrift that comes from him, then it is no matter what our condition be in this world. Upon this ground, let us fear nothing that shall befal us in God's caufe, whatsoever it is. We shall have a fpirit of prayer at the worst. God never takes away the fpirit of fupplication from his children, but leaves them that, until at laft te poffefs them fully of their defires. In all Chrift's delays, let us look unto the caufe, and to our carriage therein and renew our repentance, that we may be in a fit ftate to go to God, and God to come to Defire him to fit us for prayer and holy communion with him, that we may never doubt of his prefence.

us.

SERMON II.

CANTICLES v. 1.

"I am come into my garden, my sifter, my spouse; I have gathered

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my myrrh with my spice; I have gathered my honeycomb with

my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: Eat, O "friends; drink, yea drink abundantly, O beloved!

THIS Song is a mirror of Chrift's love; a difcovery of which we have, in part. in this verse. Wherein Chrift accepts of the invitation of the church, and comes into his garden; and he entertains her with the terms of fister and spouse Herein obferve the defcription of the church, and the fweet compellation, My fifter, my spouse;" where there is both affinity and confanguinity-all the bonds that may tie us to Christ, and Christ

to us.

1. His fifter, by blood. 2. His spouse, by marriage.

Christ is our brother, and the church, and every particular true member thereof, is his fifter. "I go, (faith Chrift, to

my