:

himself, though yet they are unregenerate P. 2. God hath an interest in you, when you have no special interest in him therefore his command must be obeyed, which bids you pray. 3. Groundless doubts will not disoblige you from your duty; else men might free themselves from almost all their obedience.

Quest. XI. May a wicked or unregenerate man pray, and is he accepted? Or is not his prayer abominable to God?'

Answ. 1. A wicked man as a wicked man, can pray no how but wickedly, that is, he asketh only for things unlawful to be asked, or for lawful things to unlawful ends; and this is still abominable to God. 2. A wicked man may have in him some good that proceedeth from common grace, and this he may be obliged to exercise; and so by prayer to express his desires so far as they are good. 3. A wicked man's wicked prayers are never accepted; but a wicked man's prayers which are for good things, from common grace, are so far accepted as that they are some means conducing to his reformation, and though his person be still unjustified, and these prayers sinful, yet the total omission of them is a greater sin. 4. A wicked man is bound at once to repent and pray. And whenever God bids him ask for grace, he bids him desire grace; and to bid him pray, is to bid him repent and be of a better mind: therefore those that reprove ministers for persuading wicked men to pray, reprove them for persuading them to repentance and good desires. But if they pray without that repentance which God and man exhort them to, the sin is theirs; but all their labour is not lost if their desires fall short of saving sincerity; they are under obligations to many duties, which tend to bring them nearer Christ, and which they may do without special, saving grace.

Quest. XII. May a wicked man pray the Lord's prayer, or be exhorted to use it?'

Answ. 1. The Lord's prayer in its full and proper sense, must be spoken by a penitent, believing, justified persons;

ii. 10.

P Psal. xlii. 9. xxii. 1. John ii. 4. Jer. xxxi. 9. Luke xv. 12. 17. 19. Mal

for in the full sense no one else can call him Our Father,' (though in a limited sense the wicked may): and they cannot desire the glory of God, and the coming of his kingdom, nor the doing of his will on earth as it is in heaven, and this sincerely, without true grace: (especially those enemies of holiness, that think it too much strictness to do God's will on earth, ten thousand degrees lower than it is done in heaven). Nor can they put up one petition of that prayer sincerely according to the proper sense; no not to pray for their daily bread, as a means of their support while they are doing the will of God, and seeking first his glory and his kingdom. But yet it is possible for them to speak these words from such common desires as are not so bad as none at all.

Quest. XIII. Is it idolatry to pray to saints or angels? or is it always sinful?'

Answ. I love not to be too quarrelsome with other men's devotions; but 1. I see not how praying to an angel or a departed saint can be excused from sin. Because it supposeth them to be every where present, or to be omniscient, and to know the heart, yea to know at once the hearts of all men; or else the speaker pretendeth to know when the saint or angel is present and heareth him, and when not: and because the Scripture doth no where signify that God would have us pray to any such saints or angels; but signifieth enough to satisfy us to the contrary. 2. But all prayer to them is not idolatry, but some is, and therefore we must distinguish, if we will judge righteously. (1.) To pray to saints or angels as supposed omnipresent, omniscient, or omnipotent, is flat idolatry. (2.) To pray to them to forgive us our sins against God, or to justify, or sanctify, or redeem, or save us from hell, or any thing which belongeth to God only to do, is no better than idolatry. (3.) But to pray to them only to do that which belongeth to the guardian, or charitable office that is committed to them, and to think that though they are not omnipresent nor omniscient, nor you know not whether they hear you at this time or not, yet you will venture your prayers at uncertainty, it being but so much labour lost; this I take to be Isa, Ixiii. 16. Psal. cxlv. 18. 1 Kings viii. 39. Acts i. 24. Rom. viii. 27. x. 14. Matt. iv. 9.

t Psal. lxv. 2.

Psal. Ixii. 8.

sinfully superstitious, but not idolatry". (4.) But to pray to living saints or sinners, for that which belongeth to them to give, is no sin at all.

Quest. XIV. 'Is a man bound to pray ordinarily in his family?'

Answ I have answered this affirmatively before, and proved it; one grain of grace would answer it better than arguments can do.

Quest. xv. 'Must the same man pray secretly that hath prayed with his family or with others?'

Answ. 1. Distinguish between those that were the speakers, and those that were not; and 2. Between those that have leisure from greater or more urgent duties, and those that have not. And so, (1.) Those that are free from the urgency of all other duties, which at that time are greater, should pray both in the family and in secret; especially if they were not themselves the speakers, usually they will have the more need of secret prayer; because their hearts in public may more easily flag, and much of their case may be omitted. (2.) But those that have more urgent, greater duties, may take up at that time with family-prayer alone (with secret ejaculations; especially if they were the speakers): having there put up the same requests as they would do in secret.

X

Quest. xvI. Is it best to keep set hours for prayer, or to take the time which is fittest at present?'

Answ. Ordinarily set times will prove the fittest times; and to leave the time undetermined and uncertain, will put all out of order, and multiply impediments, and hinder duty. But yet when extraordinary cases make the ordinary time unfit, a fitter time must be taken.

Quest. XVII. Is it lawful to join in family (or church) prayers with ungodly men?'

Answ. I join both together, because the cases little differ; for the pastor hath the government of the people in church-worship, as the master of the family hath in familyworship you may choose at first whether you will be a member of the church or family (if you were not born to it as your privilege). But when you are a member of either, you must be governed as members. And to the case, 1. u Rev. xxii. 8, 9. Col. ii. 18. * Mark that I say but at that time.'

You must distinguish between professed wicked men, and those that sin against the profession. 2. And between a family (or church) that is totally wicked, and that which is mixed of good and bad. 3. And between those wicked men whose presence is your sin, because you have power to remove them, and those whose presence is not your sin, nor the matter in your power. 4. And between one that may yet choose of what family he will be, and one that may not. And so I answer, (1.) If it be the fault of the master of the family (or the pastors of the church) that such wicked men are there, and not cast out, then it is their sin to join with them, because it is their duty to remove them; but that is not the case of the fellow-servants (or people), that have no power. (2.) If that wicked men profess their wickedness, after sufficient admonition, you must professedly disown communion with them; and then you are morally separated and discharged, when you have no power locally to separate. (3.) It is your sin to fly from your duty, be cause a wicked man is there, whom you have no power to remove. (4.) There are many prayers that a wicked man is bound to put up to God; and you must not omit your duty, because he performeth his, though faultily: methinks you should more scruple joining or conversing with one that forsaketh prayer (which is the greater sin) than with one that prayeth. (5.) But if you are free to choose, you are to be blamed if you will not choose a better family (or church) (other things being equal): especially if all the company be wicked.

Quest, XVIII. But what if the master of a family (or pastor) be a heretic or ungodly?'

Anws. You must distinguish between his personal faults, and the faults of his performance or worship. His personal faults (such as swearing or drunkenness, &c.) you must disown, and must not choose a master (or pastor) that is such, while you have your choice, and may have better: but otherwise it is lawful to join with him in doing good, though not in evil. But if the fault of his duty itself be intolerable you must not join with him: now it is intolerable in these 1. In case he be utterly unable to express a prayer, and so make it no prayer. 2. In case he bend his prayers against godliness, and known truth, and charity, and peace,

cases.

and so make his prayers but the instruments of mischief, to vent heresy, or malice, and do more hurt than good to others. Quest. XIX. May we pray absolutely for outward mercies, or only conditionally?"

Anws. You must distinguish, 1. Between a condition spoken of the subject, when we are uncertain whether it be a mercy or not, and an extrinsic condition of the grant. 2. Between a condition of prayer, and a condition of expectation. 3. Between submission to God's will, and a conditional desire or prayer. And so I answer, (1.) It is necessary when we are uncertain whether the thing itself be good or not, that we pray with a subjective conditionality. Grant this if it be good:' or If it be not good I do not pray for it.' For it is presupposed in prayer that we know the thing prayed for to be good. (2.) But when we know the thing to be a mercy and good, we may pray for it absolutely. (3.) But we may not believe that we shall receive all with an absolute expectation, which we absolutely pray for. For prayer being the expression of desire, that which may be absolutely desired, though not absolutely promised, may be absolutely prayed for. (As our increase or strength of grace, or the conversion of our relations, &c.) (4.) But yet all such must be asked with a submission to the will of God: but that maketh it not properly a conditional form of praying; for when the nature of prayer is as it were to move the will of God, it is not so proper to say, 'Lord, do this if it be thy will already;' or 'Lord, be pleased to do this if it be thy pleasure,' as to say, 'Lord, grant this mercy; but if thou deny it, it is my duty to submit.' So Christ mentioneth both the subjective conditionality and the submission of his will. "If it be possible let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. As if he had said, Nature requireth me with a simple nolition to be unwilling of the suffering, and if it be consistent with the desired end of my mediatorship, to be desirous to avoid it: but seeing that cannot be, my comparing will commandeth this simple will of self-preservation to submit to thy most perfect will. But if any call this (submission) a condition, the matter is not great.

y Matt. xxvi. 39.