The saints daily exercise A treatise concerning the whole duty of prayer. Delivered in…The saints daily exercise A treatise concerning the whole dutie of prayer. Delivered in…

The next condition is, and it must not be forgotten, of all the rest, that we come to the Lord, ¹in the name of Jesus Christ. This is a thing commonly known, you will say, who knows not that, except we come in the name of Christ, no petition can be acceptable? Beloved, I say to you in that case, a• t•e Apostle James spea•, Ja•. ²4. where he gives this rule that we should say, if the Lord will we will do such and such a thing to morrow, &c. and when the answer would be ready, who knows not this? saith he, if you know the will of the Lord, and do it not, your judgement shall be greater; so I say, if any do not practise this, (and it is a thing we are exceeding ready to forget, or we are ready to do it in a for•ll, and in a […], but to do it in good […], […] ought to do it, ⟨p. 141⟩therein commonly we come short) you know how great a sin it was, in the old law, to offer without a Priest; in the 17 of Leviticus it is ³said there, if any man brought his sacrifice, though it were the best sacrifice and the choice, yet, saith the text, •f he did not bring it to the priest, and to the Altar, but •ay his sacrifice else where, without a Priest, such a man was guilty of blood, and was to be cut off from his people; that is, he was to be cut off by the Priest, by excommunication, and after, by the civill Magistrate. You know, it was Uzziah's fault to offer incense, when it was proper to the Priest to do it? the same sin we commit when we come to the Lord, and think, because we have repented, and prayed fervently, because, we think, our hearts and spirits are in a good disposition, because we know no sin, of which we are conscious, for this cause we think that we shall be heard. It is true, the Lord requires these qualifications, in the party, when he prays, but take heed of thinking to be heard for this, this is to offer without a Priest.