most pure and all-discerning eyes; how unworthy SERM. XXXIII. of his regard and of his affection must we needs take ourselves to be, if we do but well consider, and are acquainted with ourselves!) but that in him (i. e. for his sake, and by his means) God hath blessed Eph. i. 3, 6. us with all spiritual blessings, in him exapírwOEV ἐχαρίτωσεν pas, God hath favoured, and cast his grace upon us; valuing us notwithstanding all our imperfections; loving us, notwithstanding all the spots with which we are defiled; notwithstanding all the of fences we have committed; for the relation and alliance we have to Jesus. Nor must we look on our services (the best we are able to perform) as in themselves grateful or satisfactory: for all of them, if we mark them well, we shall find not only quite unprofitable to God, but very defective in many respects; for, who can say, he performs any thing both in kind, in manner, in degree thoroughly right and good; with that ardency of love he owes to God, with that purity of intention, with that earnest vigour of spirit, with that undistractedness of mind, with which he should perform it? No; in all our flock we cannot pick out a sacrifice entire and unblemished; such as God requires, such as duty exacts of us. They need therefore (all our services need) to be commended and completed by the beloved Son's perfectly well-pleasing performances; Heb.vii. 26. they need to be cleansed and hallowed, by passing through the hands of our most holy and undefiled High Priest; to become sweet and savoury (or to receive that on evwdías, which St. Paul speaks of) Eph. v. 2. from being offered up in his censer. In fine, as all our actions should, in our intention, be works of religion dedicated to God's service and honour; sacri Rev. viii. 3, 5. XXXIII. SERM. fices, as it were, of gratitude and homage to God; so they ought all to be offered up in the name of Jesus. I add further, VII. Lastly, that to do in the name of Jesus may well imply doing with invocation of him: thus we may understand that place of St. James, where the Jam. v. 14. elders are advised to pray, and anoint the sick in the Lord's name, for, to anoint them, imploring our Lord's blessing upon them, and upon those means used for their cure. And thus St. Chrysostom1 expounds the words; do all in Jesus's name, that is, saith he, imploring him for your helper in all things; always first praying to him, undertake your business. Doing thus, will indeed christen 1 Tim. iv. 5. and consecrate our actions; for all things, saith our apostle, are sanctified by the word of God, and prayer; that is, by God's blessing implored, and obtained by prayer; or, if God's word be there taken for his law, or revealed will, it is there signified, that our actions are not only sanctified by their lawfulness, or conformity to that good rule, God's declared will; but also by the invocation of his name; however, all our actions, it seems, are unhallowed and profane, if not accompanied with devo1 Thess. V. tion. That to do thus is our duty, appears by Luke xviii. those frequent injunctions, to pray indesinently, to pray always, to abide instantly in prayer; which 17. I. Rom. xii. 12. Col. iv. 2. 1 In locum. Αὐτὸν καλῶν βοηθὸν, ἐπὶ πάντων πρότερον αὐτῷ εὐχόμενος, ἅπτου τῶν πραγμάτων. τη Δεῖ πάσης τῆς πράξεως προηγεῖσθαι τὴν προσευχήν. M. Erem. Μηδὲν μήτε ποιῶμεν μήτε λέγωμεν πρὶν ἢ τὸν θεὸν καλέσαι καὶ παρακα λέσαι συνεφάψασθαι τῶν ἐν χερσὶν ἡμῖν ἁπάντων. Chrys. Τοῦτο δήγε πάντες ὅσοι καὶ κατὰ βραχὺ σωφροσύνης μετέχουσιν ἐπὶ πάσῃ ὁρμῇ καὶ σμικροῦ καὶ μεγάλου πράγματος θεὸν ἀεί που καλοῦσιν. Plato Tim. Vid. Epist. 8. Arr. Epict. 11. 18. XXXIII. do not only import, that we should pray often, and SERM. continue with patience and earnestness in prayer; but that we should annex it to, or interpose it among, all our actions, undertaking nothing (at least of consideration or moment) without it. We should do it (our Saviour commands) év Tavri kaιpa, Luke xi. 36. that is, on every occasion: and St. Paul gives the same direction; Praying, says he, ev Tavτì καр, on Eph. vi. 18. all opportunities, with all prayer and supplication Εν καρδίᾳ. Εν παντί. We Job xviii. 7. Isa. XXX. 1. and in spirit; (in spirit, that is, I take it, in our hearts Eph. v. 19. at least, and with secret elevations of our mind, if not with our mouth and voice.) And more explicitly otherwhere saith he, Be careful for nothing, Phil.iv. 6,7. but in every thing (in all your affairs) by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God". And thus to do (to accompany all our undertakings with prayer) we are indeed concerned upon many accounts. need God's direction (being ourselves very blind ignorant) in the choice of what we attempt; that our ends and designs may be good, conducible God's honour and our own true advantage. For, as the prophet tells us, The way of man is not in him- Jer. x. 23. self, neither is it in man that walketh to direct his 24. xvi. 9. steps; and, as the Wise Man adds, Man's goings are of the Lord; how then can a man understand his own way? (implying, since God only knows what is best for us, that we of ourselves, without his direction, know not what to do, whither to go.) The holy Psalmist signifies the same in those words, to Bene ac sapienter majores instituerunt, ut rerum agendarum, ita dicendi initium a precationibus caperetur; quod nihil rite, nihilque providenter homines sine Deorum immortalium ope, consilio, honore auspicarentur. Plin. in Paneg. Prov. i. 25, 30. Psal.cvi.13. xvi. 7. lxxiii. 24. cvii. II. Prov. xx. SERM. (very encouraging to the practice of this duty,) XXXIII. What man is he that feareth the Lord? (that Psal. xxv. feareth him, that is, who worshippeth him, and 12, 9. seeketh his guidance,) him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. We need also (being ourselves not only weak and infirm, but inconstant and unstable) God's assistance and upholding hand in the pursuance of our well-chosen designs, (that we may use the best means, and proceed in a straight course; that we may persist upright and steady in our proceedings,) that which the Wise Man seems to call, the establishing of our thoughts, and promises, as a consequence, upon our seeking God's assistance in our actions, and relying thereon; Prov. xvi. 3. Commit, saith he, thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established; (thou shalt drive 23, 24, 31. on thy good purposes steadily, without stumbling or falling; at least irrecoverably.) So the Psalmist Ps. xxxvii. assures us concerning a good man; The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord; none of his steps shall slide: though he fall, he shall not utterly be cast down; for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. We also further, as to the final success of our affairs, stand in need of God's blessing; that he, upon whose will altogether depends the disposal of all events, should bestow a good issue unto our endeavours, that they prove not matter of discouragement or discomfort to us; that which also the Psalmist assures us of obtaining, upon condition of our imploring and depending upon God for it: Psal.xxxvii. Commit thy way, saith he, unto the Lord; trust 5. cxix. 5. also in him, and he shall bring it to pass. We do 133. thus need in all our affairs the direction, assistance, and blessing of our Lord; but shall not have them XXXIII. 10. 13. without prayer; for the rule is, Ask and have, seek SERM. and find. Without asking, we are not likely to obtain those gifts; without seeking, we must not hope Luke xi. 9, to find those benefits from God. If we are so proud John xiv. as to think we do not need them, or so negligent as Psal. ix. 10. not to mind them, or so distrustful of the divine power or goodness, that we imagine he cannot or will not afford them to us, we are like to be so unhappy as to want them. God expects from us, that we should, in whatever we do, acknowledge him : (it is the Wise Man's expression, In all thy ways Prov. iii. 6. acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths :) acknowledge him as the only faithful guide and counsellor; as the only sufficient helper and protector; as the only free arbitrator and donor of good success. Nothing therefore is well done, which is not thus done: we cannot be satisfied in what we do; we cannot hope for a comfortable end thereof; we cannot expect a blessing from God, if we have refused, or if we have neglected the recommending our proceedings to his care. We can, I say, do nothing; not eat, not sleep, not trade, not travel, not study with any true content, any reasonable security, any satisfactory hope, if we have not first humbly implored God's favour; committing ourselves and our business into his hand, that hand which dispenseth all good, which alone can keep off all danger and mischief from us. God shall send his angel Gen. xxiv. before thee: so did our father Abraham send his" servant about his business; having questionless before commended it to God by prayer. God Al-Gen. xliii. mighty give you mercy before the man: so did Jacob give his sons their despatches toward Egypt. In such a manner did we enter upon all our affairs, 14. |