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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 Gʊd, 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 him. He accepts them when they come to him; their ad

dress to him is well taken, he is well pleased with it. He approves 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 offer. ing 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 complaint 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.

(2.) God manifests his acceptance of their prayers, by answering them, by doing for them agreeably to their needs and supplications. He not only inwardly and spiritually discovers his mercy to their souls by his Spirit, but outwardly in his providence, by dealing mercifully with them in his providence, in consequence of their prayers, and by causing an agreeableness between his providence and their prayers.

I proceed now,

II. To show that it is eminently the character of the true God, that he is a God that hears prayer. This appears in sev

eral things.

1. In his giving such free access to him by prayer. God in his word manifests himself ready at all times to allow us to come to him. He sits on a throne of grace; and there is no vail to hide this throne, and keep us from it. The vail is rent from the top to the bottom; the way is open at all times, and we may go to God as often as we will. Although God be infinitely above us, yet we may come with boldness. 14, 16. "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." How wonderful is it that such worms as we should be allowed to come boldly at all times to so great a God!

Heb.iv.

Thus God indulges all kinds of persons, of all nations, Jews or Gentiles. 1 Cor. i. 2, 3. "Unto all that in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs, and ours; grace be unto you," &c. God allows such access to all of all ranks; none are so mean but that they may come boldly to God by prayer, Yea, God allows the most vile and unworthy; the greatest sinners are allowed to come through Christ. And God not only allows, but encourages, and frequently invites them; yea, God manifests himself as delight. ing in being sought to by prayer. Prov. xv. 8. "The pray

and in Cant. ii. 14, we have

er of the upright is his delight ;" Christ saying to the spouse, " O my dove, let me hear thy

voice; for sweet is thy voice." The voice of the saints in prayer is sweet unto Christ; he delights to hear it.

The freeness of access by prayer that God allows them, appears wonderfully in his allowing them to be earnest and importunate; yea, to that degree as to take no denial, and as it were to give him no rest, and even encouraging them so to do. Isa. lxiii. 6, 7. "Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, and give him no rest." Thus Christ encourages us, as it were, to weary God out by prayer, in the parable of the importunate widow and the unjust judge, Luke xviii. at the beginning. So, in the parable of the man who went to his friend at midnight, to borrow three loaves, Luke xi. 5, &c.

Thus God allowed Jacob to wrestle with him, yea, to be resolute in it. God allows men to use, as it were, a violence and obstinacy, if I may so speak, this way; as in Jacob, who, when God said, "Let me go," said, "I will not let thee go, except thou bless me." So it is spoken of with approbation, when men are violent for the kingdom of heaven, and take it by force. Thus Christ suffered the blind man to be most importunate and unceasing in his cries to him, Luke xviii. 38, 39. He continued crying, "Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me." Others who were present rebuked him, that he should hold his peace, looking upon it too great a boldness, and an indecent behavior towards Christ, for him thus to cry after him as he passed by. But Christ himself did not rebuke him, though he did not cease at the rebuke of the peo ple, but cried so much the more. Christ was not offended at it, but stood and commanded him to be brought unto him, saying, "What wilt thou that I should do to thee?" And when the blind man had told him, Christ graciously granted his request.

The freedom of access that God gives in prayer, appears also in allowing us to come to him by prayer for every thing we need, both temporal and spiritual, whatever evil we need to be delivered from, or good we would obtain. Phil. iv. 6, "Be careful for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and

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