First, The Object of Prayer, is GOD in CHRIST. It were a detestable Idolatry to make a proper Prayer, (which is, The Acknowledgement of a first cause) unto any besides that God, whose Name alone is JEHOVAH, the Infinite and Eternal First Cause of all Things; a Daniel would sooner be torn to pieces with Hungry Lions, and the Children of God would sooner broil to Death in the Furnace heated by the Type of Antichrist, than commit such an Idolatry. It is the Rule in Math. 4. 10. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only thou shalt serve; and the Devil himself could not gainsay that Rule. Who should be the Object of Prayer, but the Hearer of Prayer? Now the Hearer of Prayer, must needs be an Omnipresent ⟨p. 14⟩One, able at once to receive the Supplications of many Thous••s from all Quarters of the Universe; and He must be an Omnipotent One, able to Rescue all, to Supply all, the miserable. But there is none besides our God, Who fills Heaven and Earth; none besides our God, For whom nothing is too hard; and hence This our God challenges it as His Title, in Psal. 65. 2. O Thou Hearer of Prayer! Why so? Because 'tis He alone, to whom we may say, O Thou Helper of men! Yea, but This God is not now to be Addressed from sinful men, but in and by and through the Lord Jesus CHRIST. He that is the Truth, hath with it said unto us, in Joh. 14. 6. I am the Way; no man comes •nto the Father but by me. As the Lord of Egypt said unto the Sons of Jacob, Ye shall not see my Face, except ye bring your Brother with you: So does the King of Heaven say to all the Seed of Jacob, I mean, The Generation of them that seek Him; He saith, ⟨p. 15⟩I will not Look upon you, unless you bring your Jesus with you. What are we to do with our Prayer? we have an Angel in Heaven, the Great Uncreated Angel of the Covenant, unto whom we must carry and commit the Incense of our Prayer; yea, our Prayer will be no Incense, but the rank, filthy, loathsome Nidor, of the Flesh, which attends all our Sacrifices, will make our Prayer become an Abomination unto Him who dwells in the Holy of Holies, except this Blessed Angel perfume it, with his Intercessions. We read in Rev. 8. 4. The Smoke of the Incense which came with the Prayers of the Saints, ascended up before God, out of the Angels Hand. Prayer was of old made with an Eye towards the Temple; Why, 'tis the Lord Jesus Christ who is the true Temple of God;
First, The Object of Prayer, is GOD in CHRIST. It were a detestable Idolatry to make a proper Prayer, (which is, The Acknowledgment of a first cause) unto any besides that God, whose Name alone is JEHOVAH, the Infinite and Eternal First Cause of all Things; a Daniel would sooner be torn to pieces with Hungry Lions, and the Children of God would sooner broil to Death in the Furnace heated by the Type of Antichrist, than commit such an Idolatry. It is the Rule in Math. 4. 10. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only thou shalt serve; and the Devil himself could not gainsay that Rule. Who should be the Object of Prayer, but the Hearer of Prayer? Now the Hearer of Prayer, must needs be an Omnipresent ⟨p. 14⟩One, able at once to receive the Supplications of many Thous••s from all Quarters of the Universe; and He must be an Omnipotent One, able to Rescue all, to Supply all, the miserable. But there is none besides our God, Who fills Heaven and Earth; none besides our God, For whom nothing is too hard; and hence This our God challenges it as His Title, in Psal. 65. 2. O Thou Hearer of Prayer! Why so? Because 'tis He alone, to whom we may say, O Thou Helper of men! Yea, but This God is not now to be Addressed from sinful men, but in and by and through the Lord Jesus CHRIST. He that is the Truth, hath with it said unto us, in Joh. 14. 6. I am the Way; no man comes •nto the Father but by me. As the Lord of Egypt said unto the Sons of Jacob, Ye shall not see my Face, except ye bring your Brother with you: So does the King of Heaven say to all the Seed of Jacob, I mean, The Generation of them that seek Him; He saith, ⟨p. 15⟩I will not Look upon you, unless you bring your Jesus with you. What are we to do with our Prayer? we have an Angel in Heaven, the Great Uncreated Angel of the Covenant, unto whom we must carry and commit the Incense of our Prayer; yea, our Prayer will be no Incense, but the rank, filthy, lothsome Nidor, of the Flesh, which attends all our Sacrifices, will make our Prayer become an Abomination unto Him who dwells in the Holy of Holies, except this Blessed Angel perfume it, with his Intercessions. We read in Rev. 8. 4. The Smoke of the Incense which came with the Prayers of the Saints, ascended up before God, out of the Angels Hand. Prayer was of old made with an Eye towards the Temple; Why, 'tis the Lord Jesus Christ who is the true Temple of God;
