to some of his people, such lively and strong exercises of such a spirit, and they see it so clearly, and feel it so plainly, that it puts it, at least for the present, out of doubt. They obtain such discoveries of the glory of God, and of the excellency of Christ, as do so draw forth the heart, that they know beyond all doubt or question, that they feel such a spirit as Paul spake of, when he said, "He counted all things but loss, for the excellency of Christ Jesus his Lord ;" and they can boldly say, as in the text, " Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee." At such times the people of God do not need any help of ministers to satisfy them whether they have the true love of God; they plainly see and feel it; and the Spirit of God then witnesseth with their spirits, that they are the children of God.

Therefore, if you would be satisfied upon this point, earnestly seek such attainments; seek that you may have such clear and lively exercises of this spirit. To this end, you must press forward, and labor to grow in grace. If you have had such experiences in times past, and they satisfied you then, yet you may again doubt. You should therefore seek that you may have them more frequently; and the way to that is, earnestly to press forward, that you may have more acquaintance with God, and have the principles of grace strengthened. This is the way to have the exercises of grace stronger, more lively, and more frequent, and so to be satisfi ed that you have a spirit of supreme love to God.

2. The other way is, To inquire whether you prefer God to all other things in practice, i. e. whether, when you have occasion in the course of your life to manifest by your practice which you prefer, when you must either cleave to one or the other, and must either forsake other things, or forsake God; whether then it be your manner practically to prefer God to all other things whatever, even to your dearest earthly enjoyments, to those earthly things to which your hearts are most wedded. Do you lead such lives as this? Are your lives, lives of adherence to God, and of serving God in this manner?

He that doth sincerely prefer God to all other things in his Heart, he will do it in his practice. For when God and all other things come to stand in competition, that is the proper trial what a man chooses; and the manner of acting in such cases must certainly determine what the choice is in all free agents or those who act on choice. Therefore there is no sign of sincerity so much insisted on in the Bible as this, that we deny ourselves, sell all, forsake the world, take up the cross, and follow Christ whithersoever he goeth.

Therefore, so run, not as uncertainly; so fight, not as those that beat the air; but keep under your bodies, and bring them into subjection. Act not as though you counted yourselves to have apprehended; but this one thing do," forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." 2 Pet.i. 5. &c. "And besides this, giving diligence, add to your faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowl edge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

SERMON XVIII.*

The Most High a Prayer hearing God.

PSALM lxv. 2.

O THOU THAT HEAREST PRAYER.

THIS psalm seems to be a psalm of praise to God for some remarkable answer of prayer, in the bestowment of some public mercy; or else was written on occasion of some special faith and confidence which David had, that his prayer would be answered. It is probable that this mercy bestowed, or expected to be bestowed, was some great public mercy, for which David had been very earnest and importunate, and had annexed a vow to his prayer; and that he had vowed a vow to God, that if he would grant him his request, he would do thus or thus, to praise and glorify God.

This seems to be the reason why he expresses himself as he does in the first verse of the psalm: "Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion; and unto thee shall the vow be performed;" i. e. that praise which I have vowed to give thee, on the answer of my prayer, waiteth for thee, to be given thee as soon as thou shalt have answered my prayer; and the vow which I made to thee shall be performed.

In the verse of the text, is a prophecy of the glorious times of the gospel, when "all flesh shall come" to the true God, as

Dated January 8, 1735-6. Preached on a fast appointed on the account of an epidemical sickness at the eastward [of Boston.]

to the God who heareth prayer; which is here mentioned as what distinguishes the true God from the gods to whom the nations prayed and sought, those gods who cannot hear, and cannot answer their prayer. The time was coming when all flesh should come to that God who doth hear prayer.

DOCTRINE.

It is the character of the Most High, that he is a God that hears prayer.

I shall handle this point in the following method. 1. Show that the Most High is a God that hears prayer.

2. That he is eminently such a God.

S. That he is so distinguishingly, or that herein he is distinguished from all false gods.

4. Give the reasons of the doctrine.

I. The Most High is a God that hears prayer. Though he is infinitely above all, and stands in no need of creatures; yet he is graciously pleased to take a merciful notice of poor worms of the dust. He manifests and presents himself as the object of prayer, appears as sitting on a mercy seat, that men may come to him by prayer. When they stand in need of any thing, he allows them to come to him, and ask it of him; and he is wont to hear their prayers. God in his word hath given many promises that he will hear their prayers; the scripture is full of examples of it; and God, in his dispensations towards his church, manifests himself to be a God that hears prayer,

Here it may be inquired, What is meant by God's hearing prayer? There are two things implied in it.

1. His accepting the supplications of those who pray to bim. He accepts them when they come to him; their ad

aress to him is well taken, he is well pleased with it. He ap proves of their coming to him, and approves of their asking such mercies as they request of him, and approves of their manner of doing it. He accepts of their prayers as an offering to him; he accepts the honor they do him in prayer.

2. He acts agreeably to his acceptance; and that two ways. (1.) He sometimes manifests his acceptance of their prayers, by special discoveries of his mercy and sufficiency which he makes in prayer, or immediately after. God is sometimes pleased to manifest his acceptance of his people's prayers: He gives them special communion with him in prayer, While they are praying, he as it were comes to them, and discovers himself to them; gives them sweet views of his glori ous grace, purity, sufficiency, and sovereignty; and enables them, with great quietness, to rest in him, and leave themselves and prayers with him, submitting to his will, and trusting in his grace and faithfulness. Such a manifestation God seems to have made of himself in prayer to HANNAH, which so quieted and composed her mind, and took away her sadness, We read in the first chap. of the first book of Samuel, how earnest she was, and how exercised in her mind, and that she was a woman of a sorrowful spirit. But she came and poured out her soul before God, and spake out of the abundance of her com. plaint and grief; then we read, that she went away, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad, verse 13, which seems to have been from some refreshing discoveries which God had made of himself to her, to enable her quietly to submit to his will, and trust in his mercy, whereby God manifested his acceptance of her.

Not that I conclude that persons can hence argue, that the particular thing which they ask will certainly be given them, or that they can particularly foretell from it what God will do in answer to their prayers, any farther than he has promised in his word; yet God may, and doubtless does, thus testify his acceptance of their prayers, and from hence they may confidently rest in his providence, in his merciful ordering and disposing with respect to the thing which they ask.