like manner Old Testament saints encouraged themselves in approaching God. 4. Faith is nourished by the covenant engagements of God, which are unalterable. Ps. lxxxix. 34. 5. Once more. The Christian has strong ground for faith in prayer, in those many great and precious promises with which the scriptures abound. (Matt. vii. 7.) Nor is he encouraged only by such general promises as these, but there are promises suited to all the variety of circumstances into which he can possibly come. 6. There is also much encouragement for faith in prayer, from the doctrine of divine Providence. (Ps. xxxix. 15.) There is a similar description of God's special regard to his church in 2 Chron. vii. 15.-Lastly, the strongest ground of faith in our access to the Father, is the Redeemer's mediation, in his death, resurrection, and appearance in heaven for us, together with the Holy We shall close with an Spirit's intercession within us. observation or two by way of improvement: and, 1. To you who live totally without prayer. You lie down at night, rise up in the morning, and pass through the day, without ever bowing your knee to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. You virtually renounce all idea of obligation to, and dependance upon God. Yours is, indeed, an awful state, and is accurately drawn by the pencil of truth. (Ps. x. 4-6.) Dream not, poor sinner, that thy false confidence will be always equally strong, or thy conscience equally tranquil: no, the day of affliction and darkness may soon approach; the day of death must come, and it may come both soon and suddenly. (Isa. x. 3.) Will your prayerless soul, think you, then despise God, salvation, and heaven? Justly may the Lord then say to you, Jer. ii. 28. 2. To those who make a conscience of paying homage to God in prayer, but whose prayers are mere lip-service, nothing more than pharisaic devotions, which spring from a self-righteous spirit, and are directed to an end which they never can attain; namely, that of procuring the remission of sins, and an entrance to eternal glory. They are so defective and erroneous in every respect, that they might, without much impropriety, have that sentence bear, and great duties to perform. Hence, we may discern the necessity of daily adopting such language as Matt. vi. 12, 13. 3. Our obligation to prayer may be inferred from the example of Christ, who, being in his human nature inferior and subject to his Father, is represented as incessantly occupied in prayer to him. (Ps. ii. 8.) Elsewhere it is said, that he "offered up prayers and supplications," &c. (Heb. v. 7.) Being therefore under a continual obligation to prayer, we are made like unto our living and glorious Head, in the days of his humiliation. IV. In the duty of prayer there is nothing of more importance than faith: Christ therefore particularly mentions it in this text. 1. Faith is a grace of high importance in the Christian religion; it has an extensive and active part assigned it in every part thereof, but especially in the believer's devotional exercises. "Whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing." The importance of faith in our approach to God is strongly marked. (Heb. xi. 6.) There is much truth in that remark of the Jews, though it was applied to a bad purpose. (Joun ix. 31.) When the apostle is recommending prayer, and holding forth the encouragement arising from the divine liberality, he says of the person praying, "But let him ask in faith." (James i. 5-7.) Our remarks upon this head are elucidated and confirmed by the history of Cain and Abel. (Gen. iv 3. 5.) See the New Testament comment upon this passage, Heb. xi. 4. 2. The scriptures are full of matter, tending to encourage our souls, and to enlarge and strengthen the actings of faith, in our approaches to God in prayer. 3. Sometimes faith grounds its encouragement upon the ability of God (Eph. iii. 20.) If unbelief starts a difficulty, and says, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? (Ps. lxxvii. 19.) Faith, calculating upon the omnipotence of God, replies, Phil. iv. 19. Strong faith in prayer is excited in the believer's soul by a consideration of the relation God stands in to him. He is his God and Father. (Matt. vi. 9.) And when the prodigal finally resolved to arise and seek salvation, his language ran thus: "I will arise and go to my Father." (Luke xv. 18, 19.) His reception far exceeds all his expectations, verse 20. In VOL. II. B like manner Old Testament saints encouraged themselves in approaching God. 4. Faith is nourished by the covenant engagements of God, which are unalterable. Ps. Ixxxix. 34. 5. Once more. The Christian has strong ground for faith in prayer, in those many great and precious promises with which the scriptures abound. (Matt. vii. 7.) Nor is he encouraged only by such general promises as these, but there are promises suited to all the variety of circumstances into which he can possibly come. 6. There is also much encouragement for faith in prayer, from the doctrine of divine Providence. (Ps. xxxix. 15.) There is a similar description of God's special regard to his church in 2 Chron. vii. 15.-Lastly, the strongest ground of faith in our access to the Father, is the Redeemer's mediation, in his death, resurrection, and appearance in heaven for us, together with the Holy Spirit's intercession within us. We shall close with an observation or two by way of improvement: and, 1. To you who live totally without prayer. You lie down at night, rise up in the morning, and pass through the day, without ever bowing your knee to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. You virtually renounce all idea of obligation to, and dependance upon God. Yours is, indeed, an awful state, and is accurately drawn by the pencil of truth. (Ps. x. 4-6.) Dream not, poor sinner, that thy false confidence will be always equally strong, or thy conscience equally tranquil: no, the day of affliction and darkness may soon approach; the day of death must come, and it may come both soon and suddenly. (Isa. x. 3.) Will your prayerless soul, think you, then despise God, salvation, and heaven? Justly may the Lord then say to you, Jer. ii. 28. 2. To those who make a conscience of paying homage to God in prayer, but whose prayers are mere lip-service, nothing more than pharisaic devotions, which spring from a self-righteous spirit, and are directed to an end which they never can attain; namely, that of procuring the remission of sins, and an entrance to eternal glory. They are so defective and erroneous in every respect, that they might, without much impropriety, have that sentence inscribed upon them. (Acts xvii. 23.) Such persons know not God spiritually or savingly. Jer. ix. 3. 3. Let me remind you Christians what obligations you are under to the word of God, in which the object of prayer is revealed, and encouragements to prayer held forth in almost every page; how much you owe for the success of all your prayers to the prevalent intercession of Christ, and the divine aid of the Holy Spirit. And be sure, whilst you are praying for spiritual blessings, use all the means by which God has been accustomed to convey them; and be constantly looking for that blessed day, when you shall feel no more spiritual wants, but have prayer changed into everlasting praise. PUBLIC PRAYER. And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplica tion before the Lord, &c.-1 Kings viii. 59. NOTWITHSTANDING those sacred books which were written previous to the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh, were written in the infancy of the church, yet they abound with interesting and instructive passages, calculated, with the Divine blessing, to increase our knowledge, and inflame our devotion. There are few, if any, chapters in the Old Testament, more suited to promote these objects, than that from which I have read my text, containing the prayer of Solomon at the dedication of the temple, one of the most spacious and splendid monuments the art and labour of man ever produced. This noble building, in the erection of which the king of Israel spared neither cost nor labour, was designed to be a type and figure of that glorious church, which Jesus, the true Solomon, the King of Peace, was appointed to raise out of the ruins of our fallen world; and of which the prophet speaks, Zech. vi. 12, 13. In past times the Lord had a tabernacle among his people, in which was placed the ark of the covenant, whic ark was a symbol of Jehovah's presence with his peo To this tabernacle the tribes of Israel were accustomed to draw near, and there offer, upon God's altar, both bloody sacrifices and devout supplications. It was reserved for David, the man after God's own heart, to purpose, plan, and diligently prepare to build a magnificent house, for the worship of the one living and true God. The way in which his mind was first impressed upon the subject, and what God said to him concerning it, are related, 1 Chron. xvii. 1—4. 11, 12. No sooner is David gone to his fathers in peace, than Solomon hastens to fulfil the favourite design of his father. The very liberal contributions which had been made in the days of his father, greatly facilitated this arduous and honourable undertaking. The thousands of Israel, with cheerful hearts, hastened from all parts of the kingdom to witness the public and solemn dedication of the temple to God. What an interesting spectacle does the congregation of Israel present, upon this truly memorable occasion! From the text I intend to draw some general observations upon public prayer. Obs. I. Public prayer is both an ancient and important branch of Divine worship. It was a part of the patriarchal worship: it was so even among that generation to whom God at first revealed himself as a God of grace, through the seed of the woman, who was to "bruise the serpent's head." Gen. iv. 26. Public prayer was a part of the worship which God instituted among the Jews in the wilderness, and was offered at the door of the tabernacle, before that propitiatory, which was a beautiful type of Jesus Christ, who is said to be "the propitiation for our sins," (1 John ii. 2,) and by whom alone we have freedom of access to God at a throne of grace. Now are we at a loss for the precise period when the whole congregation used to occupy themselves in this holy practice. (Luke i. 10.) It would have been highly criminal in them to have neglected the assembling of themselves together at the place where God had recorded his holy name, after that solemn declaration, Exod. xxix. 43. It is from the circumstance of the congregation of Israel's having fellowship with God in prayer, that Moses congratulates them. Deut. iv. 7. |