An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty-fifth, thirty-sixth, and thirty-seventh chapters of…

Hence Note; First, The prayers of vain and evil persons, are vain things.

Hence Note; First, The prayers of vaine and evil persons, are vaine things.

The Text doth not say, their oaths are vain, and their lies are vain, and their idle words are vain, but their cry, their cries in prayer to God are vain, yea vanity. There may be vanity in the prayer of a good man, but his prayer is not vanity. That's a just reproof upon the good works of many, which Christ gave the Angel of the Church of Sardis, (Rev. 3.3.) I have not found thy works perfect, or, I have not found thy works full. Though that Angel had done good works, and possible was full of good works, yet his works were not full. A man may be full of prayer, pray often, yet his prayer not full, his prayers may be empty, vain prayers; that's a vain thing which is an empty thing. How vain are they whose best things are vanity! If the prayers of a man are vanity, then certainly all is vanity; and we may say of him in the whole bulk of all, he is vanity of vanities, all is vanity. When once God calls a mans prayer, and hearing, vanity; when he calls those works, which are good for the matter of them, vanity, then the man is indeed altogether vanity. You will say, when is prayer vanity, or a vain thing? I shall answer it in a few particulars.

The Text doth not say, their oaths are vaine, and their lies are vaine, and their idle words are vaine, but their cry, their crys in prayer to God are vaine, yea vanity. There may be vanity in the prayer of a good man, but his prayer is not vanity. That's a just reproof upon the good works of many, which Christ gave the Angel of the Church of Sardis, (Rev. 3.3.) I have not found thy works perfect, or, I have not found thy works full. Though that Angel had done good works, and possible was full of good works, yet his works were not full. A man may be full of prayer, pray often, yet his prayer not full, his prayers may be empty, vaine prayers; that's a vaine thing which is an empty thing. How vaine are they whose best things are vanity! If the prayers of a man are vanity, then certainly all is vanity; and we may say of him in the whole bulke of all, he is vanity of vanities, all is vanity. When once God calls a mans prayer, and hearing, vanity; when he calls those works, which are good for the matter of them, vanity, then the man is indeed altogether vanity. You will say, when is prayer vanity, or a vaine thing? I shall answer it in a few particulars.