Gospel-Worship

Again, if you would pray to God indeed, so as to sanctify his name in prayer, there should be humility in your hearts so as to be sensible of your own unworthiness; I spake somewhat about being sensible of the distance between God and us, when I spake about sanctifying of Gods name in general. The last that I shall speak of is this, when you have done all, this all, these qualifications will not sanctify Gods name, except all be tendered ⟨p. 296⟩up in the name of Jesus Christ, and in the power of his merits; let a man or woman pray with as much fervency, zeal, constancy, purity, in truth and sincerity; yet except he puts up all in the name of Christ, I say he cannot be accepted; our spiritual offerings must be tendered up in his name; but I have Preached much about that, but now put all that hath been said together, and this it is to pray.

Againe, if you would pray to God indeed, so as to sanctifie his name in prayer, there should be humility in your hearts so as to be sensible of your own unworthinesse; I spake somwhat about being sensible of the distance between God and us, when I spake about sanctifying of Gods name in general. The last that I shall speak of is this, when you have done all, this all, these qualifications will not sanctifie Gods name, except all be tendred ⟨p. 296⟩up in the name of Jesus Christ, and in the power of his merits; let a man or woman pray with as much fervencie, zeale, constancie, purity, in truth and sincerity; yet except hee puts up all in the name of Christ, I say hee cannot be accepted; our spirituall offerings must be tendered up in his name; but I have Preached much about that, but now put all that hath been said together, and this it is to pray.

That is, when as I pray understandingly: when I give my self to prayer: when there are the breathings of the holy Ghost in my prayer: when there is purity of heart like a golden vial: together with sincerity, when it is in truth of heart, when it is in faith, when it comes from a spiritual Adoption, when its in fervency, when in constancy, reverence, humility, and all put up in the name of Jesus Christ; now a man prays, as it is said of Saul, behold he prayeth; so I may say of those that are instructed in this Art, behold they pray; you see now that prayer is more then to read in a book, more then to say a few words; ye see it is a very hard thing to pray, a work of great difficulty, and no marvel though we have lost so many of our prayers as we have done; we must not charge prayer and God with it, but look to our selves (I mean not charge the Ordinance of prayer) but the vileness of our carriage in our prayers; and let us for time to come know what a Christian life means, it is said of Christ in