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beams of the sun. Defy Satan, and bid him abandon. As they that have committed a robbery, run away from a hue and cry,—so the devil will run away from the noise of your supplications, when you challenge him for sacrilege, that he hath robbed you of your devotion.

To do more yet, I will assay to prescribe a remedy to a disease, I fear, not quite to be cured. But first feel your own pulse, and your fitness for the heavenly work of prayer before you begin it. See that you be not drowsy and slothful: for a sluggard will be encumbered with various and recurrent thoughts. Neither would I have you to protract prayer to that length, which otherwise you would have done, when your mind and devotion fail you. Short and pithy prayers, collects well filled with words and matter, and not protracted till they may be censured for babbling, are more prevalent with God, when zeal doth manage them, than to spend out time without a fervent and well fixed intention. The prayers of the great saints in scripture are compendious, they are strong in sense, and speak home. A rose is sweeter in the bud, than in the blown flower: and what you abate at one time, in length, to anticipate distraction, you may fill up the measure when you will, by using them the oftener. I have known some servants of God, very circumspect in their ways, that use, for the most part, to read their prayers either printed or written, that seeing the matter of them before their eyes, they might the better contain themselves from all extravagancies. To which end, it is prescribed in the church of Rome, though a priest can say the mass by heart, yet he must read it out of his book, to keep the closer to the intention of his duty. But when all is said, happy are they that offend least in this kind, for all offend.

And whom can we blame but ourselves, that are

remiss, and not half so earnest as we should be, to prevail with God? which I demonstrate thus: let there be any thing in our prayers, which we are more eagerly set upon to obtain than all the rest, we will never start aside, nor run out of our circle when we come to that petition. The mind is with that, and in that which it loves.' If we did long for every member of our prayer, as much as for that special thing, which we did so eminently desire, we would continue, from the beginning to the end of prayer, with little or no diversion.

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This bottom is not wound up till I give a warning to zeal, as it is, "It is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing." Look that your petitions be modelled into such things, as the Word and Spirit do appoint, and stir you up to ask, and "you shall not be ashamed of your sacrifice.' But if you be frivolous, the prophet will tell you again, “Ye have sown the wind, and ye shall reap the whirlwind.” Or the apostle tells you plainly, "ye ask and receive not, because ye ask amiss.' Ask for the kingdom of heaven, for the maintenance of God's glory, for newness of life, and obedience to the will of God; ask for pardon of sins in Christ Jesus, for grace in the Holy Ghost to resist temptations; ask our offended Father for mercy, to be delivered from the wrath which we have deserved: and let the seventh part of our prayer be for the things of this life, and for them with moderation, according to the station which we bear in the world, and be content with the portion allotted to you: aim by this level, and you hit the mark. What mighty blessings did fall upon Solomon, because he desired not the advantages of pomp and luxury, when God put it to him in a dream what to

1 Gal. iv. 18.
3 Hos. viii. 7.

2 Hos. iv. 19.
4 James iv. 3.

ask! He desired an understanding and a wise heart; and "the speech pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing.'

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3. Intercessions, that is, prayers wherein we mediate to God for others, must now be thought of, and the comfort redounding from them. The duty is strictly commanded, to pray for one another. And "I will that intercessions be made for all men, for kings, and all that are in authority." When we do so, we have done what we are bidden: and having done that, albeit we are unprofitable servants to God, we are not uncomfortable to ourselves. For it is the first part of the reward of a good deed, that we can say to our conscience' we have done it.' Beside, the work of love is delightful to the spirit; and to help others in our prayers is the largest and widest work of charity, willing to do good to all upon the face of the earth, and stretching forth its hands that the whole world may be better for the calves of our lips. Chiefly commending the whole state of Christ's church to God's mercy, yet also (as may be seen in our Collect used on Good Friday) not forgetting to remember Christ for Jews, Turks, infidels, heretics, to take from them ignorance, hardness of heart, and contempt of the word: not only that the sheep of Christ's pasture might be blessed, but that it might be well with Nero, and such as he, that were the lions who devoured us. This is charity, not only to have communion with all the saints, but compassion for all the world. Therein we follow the footsteps of Christ in his mediatorship, as far as we are able, who hath an "unchangeable priesthood, and ever lives to make intercession for us ;" and "who bare the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.'

11 Kings iii. 10. 2 James v. 16. 31 Tim. ii. 1.
5 Isaiah liii. 12.

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Likewise it is the office of those that have great interest in God's favour, to bless others with their prayers, as the Lord told Abimelech, king of Gerar, "Abraham is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live."1 So he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, and to his other two friends, "My servant [Job] shall pray for you, for him will I accept.' 12 All Israel had been destroyed for worshipping the calf in Horeb, "had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath."3 'What!' says an old writer, art thou, Moses, more merciful than God? art thou more pitiful to the people than he that saves us from all evil? No,' says he, 'thou art infinite short of the loving-kindness of the Lord; but he put thy charity to the proof, to see what vehement entreaties thou wouldst make for the deliverance of the nation.' When the same people were like to be overrun by the Philistines, what course did Samuel take? Says he, "Gather all Israel to Mizpeh" (which was a proseucha, or place for public prayer,)" and I will pray for you to the Lord."4 66 And you shall find most victorious success "5 What comfortable orators are the mighty upon it." saints of God! What a safeguard it is unto us all, when they live among us! 'A wise man is the price and redemption of many fools,' says a heathen: so a mediator that is very dear to God, is a protection not only to the good, but to the wicked that are about him. Have we not cause, then, to pray for the continuance of such, that they may live long to pray for us? Should Paul need to desire the prayers of the Thessalonians? or of the Hebrews? Could they forget that, which so much concerned their welfare? Now the worthy servants of the Lord may prevail

2 Job xlii. 8, 9.

1 Gen. xx. 7.
4 1 Sam. vii. 5.
61 Thess. v. 25.

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3 Psalm cvi. 23. 5 1 Sam. vii. 10. 7 Chap. xiii. 18.

much one by one: others of the common rank had need to meet by hundreds, and by thousands, in great congregations, that every single man's prayer may be a drop in a shower, that while every man prays for all, all may pray for every man. So great is the opinion of good consequents from the intercession of God's servants, that infidels and ungodly, who thought it would be labour in vain to speak to God for themselves, have sued unto the saints on earth to prefer petitions for them. Darius that worshipped false gods, sent to the Jews at Jerusalem, to pray for the life of the king and his sons." ." And they that persecuted Jeremy, besought him, "Pray for us unto the Lord. our God." And Simon Magus turned himself to Peter and the apostles to intercede for him, Pray unto the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken, may come upon me. This is the sum, that intercession of prayer, whether active or passive, whether it be to give or to receive a blessing, is exceeding full of consolation.

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2. To go in order to the next head: Who they be that shall get benefit and comfort by prayer, is quickly defined. We know that "all things work together for good to them that love God; to none other, you may be sure. He that doth not truly call the God of heaven his Father, as Christ begins his prayer, -shall have no share in the portion of sons. We may intercede for profane and impenitent men, and our prayer shall return into our own bosom. But while they remain such, the mercies of the Lord will be strange unto them. They are not of the body of the mystical church, and all the fresh springs are derived unto them that are within the sanctuary. While the Jews continued under the hardness of their heart,

1 Ezra vi. 10.
3 Acts viii. 24.

2 Jer. xlii. 20.
4 Rom. viii, 28.

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