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Sermons . Eighteen sermons preached on several occasions (1729)
Sermons Eighteen sermons preached on several occasions - 1729 Author:John Sharp Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: To make this Notion of Prayer yet a little plainer if I can: To every religious Prayer that we put up (if we put it up as we fhould do) there will go thefe Four ... more »Things. Fir ft of all there is fuppofed a Senfe of our Wants, and a Defire of the Supply of them, but withal, a Conviction of our own Impotence and Inability to help our lelves. Secondly, There is fuppofed a Senfe of God's Prefence, and Povidence, and Good- nefs, and a Belief that God doth fee our Condition, and knows what we want, and hath alfo that Love and Kindneis for his Creatures, that upon Prayer he will fupply our Neceffities, and give us either what we pray for, or what is more convenient for us. Upon thefe Confiderations there follows, in the Third Place, a looking up to God, a waiting upon him for thofe Bleflings we ftand in need of, difelaiming all Help in our felves, and entirely depending on his Care and Kindnefs for the Supply of whatfoever we defire. Now in the fourth and laft place, when we come to form this Senfe, and thofe Defires, and this Dependence, into direct Addreffes to God, when we make Expreflion of them by actual Application to the Throne of his Grace, whether in Thought alone ; or in Thought and Word too, then is our Prayer compleated. D 3 This This I take to be a true Account of this Duty of Prayer, which being admitted, we may from hence obferve, in the firft place, not only that Prayer hath an immediate Refpect to the Honour of God, as well as any of the other Duties of Piety, nioft properly fo called, and confequently is no luch mean felfifh Bufinefs as fome prophaneWits are apt to account it ; but alfo that it is a Duty which we do fo indifpenfably owe to God, that we muft be horribly injurious to him, as well as to our felves, if we neglect it: Nay, we muft firll be fiappo...« less