houfe. And now, O Lord God, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promifed this goodness unto thy fervant ; THEREFORE HATH THY SERVANT FOUND IN HIS HEART TO PRAY THIS PRAYER BEFORE reasonable and proper to pray for that which God has promifed; and that the certainty that it will be accomplished is a motive and encouragement to pray for it. How greatly then do they err who think that if every event is made certain by God's decree, there is no reafon or encouragement to pray for any thing! Our Saviour, in the pattern of prayer which he has dictated, directs men to pray that God would bring to pafs thofe events which were already fixed and decreed, and therefore muft infallibly take place: "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done," &c. Chrift himself, in the 17th chapter of John, prays for those whom the Father had given to him, that he would keep them through his own name, and that they might be one, as the Father and Son were one; might be kept from the evil in the world, and be fanctified through the truth; that they might be with him in heaven forever, and behold his glory. At the fame time he knew that all this was made certain to them; for he had before said, that all that were given to him should come to him, and he would raise them up at the laft day; that he would give unto them eternal life, and not one of them fhould perish, as none fhould be able to pluck them out of his hands, or his Father's. prays, "Father, glorify thy name;" not becaufe this event was uncertain, but to exprefs his earneft defire of that which he knew was decreed, and could not but take place, and his willingness to give up every thing, even his own life, to promote this. Again, Chrift prays in the following words: "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own felf, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." The event for which Chrift prays in thefe words was decreed from Tt He from eternity, and the decree had been long before publifhed, in the 2d and 110th Pfalms: "I will declare the decree: The Lord hath faid unto me, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. Afk of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermoft parts of the earth for thy poffeffion. Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." And he had declared the certainty of that for which he here prays, fince his incarnation. He had faid, that all power in heaven and earth was given unto him; that "the Father had committed all judgment unto the Son; that all men fhould honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. St. Paul, when fpeaking of God, often introduces the following words: To whom be glory forever, Amen ;" which is not to be confidered as a mere doxology, by which glory is afcribed to God; but it is rather a wifh, or defire, that God may be glorified forever; and the Amen corroborates it as if he had faid, "Let it be fo; this is the moft ardent defire of my foul, including the fum of all my petitions." Here, then the Apoftle utters a defire and petition for that which he knew was decreed, and would take place. The laft words of Chrift to his church are, "Surely I come quickly." Upon which promife the following petition of the church, and of every friend of his, is prefented to him: "Amen, even fo come Lord Jefus." Here is a petition, in which all Chriftians join, praying Christ to do what he has promised; and which therefore was as certain as a declared decree could poffibly make it and the petition is grounded on this promife and decree published by Chrift, in which the petitioners exprefs their hearty approbation of the coming of Christ, and earneft defire of this important and happy event. And if it be reasonable thus to pray for an event which is fixed and made certain by an unchangeable decree, and cannot be altered, as in the inftance before us; then it is reasonable and proper to pray for any thing or any event which appears to us defirable and impor tant, tant, though we know God is unchangeable, and that all things and every event are fixed by an unalterable decree. The apoftle John fays, "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we afk any thing according to his will, he heareth us. And if we know that he heareth us, whatsoever we afk, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him :" [1 John v. 14, 15.] To afk for any thing according to his will, is to ask for those things which it is agreeable to his will to grant; and this is to be known only by what he has revealed. When we ask him to do what he has declared he will do, then we know we ask for that which is according to his will; and confequently, that we have our petitions. But it will be afked, What are these things? I anfwer, That God will glorify himself in all things, and make the brighteft difplay of his perfections and character forever; that he will promote and effect the greatest poffible good of the univerfe; that he will make his church and kingdom perfectly happy and glorious forever ; that he will accomplish all his defigns and predictions, and fulfil all his promises to his church and people; and caufe all things to work for the good of those who love him; and give his Holy Spirit to all who afk him. Thefe, I think, must be the things we ask, when we know that we pray for any thing according to the will of God, and confequently know that he heareth us, and that we have the petitions that we desired of him. But in all these inftances we ask for that which God has faid he will do, that is, has decreed that he will do them. And as it has been faid before, if a decree in thefe inftances does not render it unreasonable or improper to pray for their accomplishment; then, if God has decreed whatsoever comes to pass, this is not in the least inconfiftent with our praying for whatever appears to us defirable and good, and may not be contrary to the will of God to grant. But here it must be observed, that when we afk for any particular things or events which, though it may not be contrary to the will of God God to grant, yet he has in no way revealed that it is his will to grant our petitions; when we afk for any fuch thing, we must do it with an express or implicit referve-If it be according to the will of God. Otherwise, or if it be not according to his will, we muft withdraw our petition, and not defire to have it granted. Re fignation to the will of God, whatever it may be, in all fuch inftances, is effential to the pious petitions of a benevolent friend of God. And by thus referring to the will of God, and refigning to that, defiring it may be done in all cafes, whatever petitions we may make, we do refer to the decrees of God, by which he has determined what he will do in every particular inftance; for his will and his decrees are in this cafe one and the fame, being fixed and unchangeable, Fourthly. It is not only proper and important that the worfhippers of God fhould exprefs their defires of those things which they want, in praying for them; but were this not true, and were not afking for them the means and way of obtaining them; yet the pious friends of God would efteem it a privilege and enjoyment to be allowed and invited, "by prayer and fupplication, with thanksgiving, to make known their requefts unto him." To them prayer is not a task, from which they would be glad to be excufed, but they practise it with pleafure. They have great fupport, enjoyment and happiness in cafting their cares upon God, and expreffing the defires of their hearts to him. While others reftrain prayer before God, and fay, "What is the Almighty, that we fhould ferve him? and what profit fhould we have if we pray unto him?" the benevolent friend of God would pray, were it only for the enjoyment which he has in the exercife; and Lays in his heart, "I will call upon God as long as I live." And though he is certain that God is unchangeable, and that nothing is done, or will come to pass, which is not foreordained by him, this does not tend to prevent or in the leaft abate the pleasure and enjoyment he has in making known his requests to God, or or his defire conftantly to practise it: but this truth gives him fupport and confolation, and increases his delight in calling upon God, and renders it more defirable and pleafant unto him: yea, were not this a truth, he could not find any reason for making his requefts known to him, or any delight in doing it; and would not have any encouragement, or even dare, to afk for any thing, as has been obferved and fhewn. And now this matter is to be left to the judgment of every one who will attend to it. It is hoped that it ap pears evident, beyond all difpute, from the light in which this fubject has been now fet, that the doctrine of God's decreeing whatsoever comes to pafs is not only confiftent with all the exercises of true piety, but is the proper foundation for this, and is fuited to excite and promote thefe exercifes; and that there can be no real piety which is not confiftent with this truth. IMPROVEMENT OF THE SUBJECT. I. It appears from what has been faid on this 'fubject, that they who are in their hearts oppofed to this doctrine of the decrees of God, are ftrangers to true piety, and do not fear before God. Though they may have exercises which they call and think to be piety and real religion, and it may have an appearance of it to others; yet it has nothing of the real nature of true piety, but is enmity and oppofition to the true God. They may think they love God, and are speaking for him, and to his honour, and in favour of religion, while they are ftrenuously oppofing this doctrine, as difhonourable to God, and deftructive to all virtue and true religion: but they are deceived, and are really oppofing and difhonouring the true God, and denying and renouncing that truth which is the only foundation of true piety. This will, without doubt, be thought very uncharitable by many, as it condemns a great part of profeffing Chriftians, as deftitute of true piety, and not real Chriftians. But is it the office of charity to give up the truth |