thejuft fhall live by faith," &c. He | Prayer, a weapon peculiar to thofe who fight under Chrifl, the Cap tain of our Salvation.. NUMBER I. that believeth hath eternal life. "The life which I now live in the flesh" faid this holy Apoftle," is by faith on the Son of God." But what is the fecurity of the juft, for the enjoyment of this life ?. The covenant promife and faith fulness of God. "Now the jufted at Hartford, on the day of the fball live by faith.". The enquiry may be pufhed a ftep further, and a ready folution be found. MESS'RS EDITORS, I appeared to be the object of the Millionary fermon, preach laft General Election, to ftir up Chriftians to the duty of extraordinary prayer. The preacher if I miftake not, held up this idea, That there was, perhaps, no way, in which the friends of the Redeem er might do mare to advance the intereft of his kingdom than by prayer. It then appeared to me that the thought was juft, and very important. But the more I have medi Are all others excluded from the approbation and enjoyment of God? Are there not fome who do not acknowledge Chrift, who get from their exemplary conduct their moral lives-their kind, obliging and inoffenfive carriage; and efpecially from their eminent usefulness to man-ated upon the.. fubject, the more kind, may expect the divine approba- important it appears, that all the tion ? followers of the Lamb fhould be come wreftlers in prayer. The answer is, If any man draw back, &c. let his pretenfions or his virtues be what they may; how ever beloved, revered and careffed by mankind, fo that his praife is the theme of every tongue, and his worth extolled to the kies; yet if deftitute of this faith, by which the just do and fhall live if he have not that holiness which characterizes the faints, he is an abhorrence to God, and infinitely offenfive in the pure eyes of his glo. ry," my foul fhall have no pleafure in him." The holy nature of God cannot approve of fuch a character. It is infinitely impoffible. Godfeeth not as man feeth-he looketh on the heart. He is no refpecter of perfons, but judgeth according to truth. Without faith it is impoffible to pleafe God. Whatever is not of faith is fin. ASAPH. (To be continued.) The thought has ftruck my mind with force, That prayer isa weapon peculiar to thofe, who fight under Chrift, the captain of our falvation. It is a weapon which they, and wont but they over ufe. The enemies of Chrift can use the bow and the ar row, the fword and the fpearas weil as his friends. The enemies of Chrift ufe the prefs, and even the pulpit, as well as those devoted to his intereft. And they even make ufe of fome weapons to advance their caufe, which Christians dare not bring into the fervice of their mafter. But here is one piece of armour, which none but Chriftian foldiers ever did, or ever will bring into the field; and by this they will come off conquerors, and more than conquerors-Itis prayer. A little attention to thofe con tests, which have subsisted betweed the people of God and their ene mies, will ferve to give us a ftriking view of the great advantage, which the former have obtained over the latter, by reafon of their having In the 17th chapter of Exodus, liberty of access to the throne of there is an account of a battle begrace. This gave Jacob the ad- tween Ifrael and Amalek, an atvantage of his brother Efau. tention to which will throw light When Jacob was returning from upon the fubject before us. "Then Padan-aram, Efau fet out to meet came Amalek and fought with If him in a hoftile manner, at the rael in Rephidim. And Mofes head of 400 men. It was a try faid untó Joshua, Choose us out ing time with Jacob. He did not men, and go out, fight with Amas with to fight his brother. If he lek; to-morrow I will stand on had wished it, he could not; for the top of the hill, with the rod he had nothing but a defenceless of God in mine hand. So Joshcompany of women, children and ua did as Mofes had faid to him, flocks. In this trying time, Ja- and fought with Amalek: and cob remembered the God of his Mofes, Aaron and Hur went up father Abraham, and the God of to the top of the hill. And it came his father Ifaac; and he remem- to pass when Mofes held up his hand, bered that he was a prayer-hearing that Ifrael prevailed: And when he God to him he went and poured let down his hand, Amalek prevail out his heart, and entreated his ed, &c. The holding up of the blefling. The night before he met hand is expreffive of prayer: Lam. his brother, he never fhut his eyes iii. 41. "Let us lift up our heart so fleep; but spent the whole time with our hands unto God in the in the moft fervent prayer. His heavens." Now obferve in the importunity held out to the very cafe before us, there were two ways laft; even at the breaking of the in which Ifrael fought against Ama day, he faid to the almighty An- lek, and but one in which they gel, with whom he wrestled, I fought against Ifrael. They both will not let thee go, except thou blefs had armies, and, no doubt, gen me. And the fequel fhows us that erals to lead them; but Amalek he did not wrestle in vain. He, had no Mofes to pray. By atwho turneth all hearts whitherfo- tending to the whole paffage, we ever he will, difarmed Efau of his learn that the battle iffued in favor rage, fo that the next morning they of Ifrael but not until God had met like two twin brothers; fee given them decided proof, that Gen. 32d and 33d chapters. Who they must not expect to overcome, ever reads the account and believes by fuperior force, but by humbly the truth of it, will fee, that pray- fupplicating aid from the Lord of er was the weapon, with which hofts. The Amalekites could fight Jacob overcame his brother. In with carnal weapons as well as the this conteft, this weapon was used people of God; but they had no only on one fide. Efau was a pro- prayer on their fide. In other ref fane man; his portion was in this pects, it feems, they had the ade life. Such men do not pray: "Ye vantage; for when Mofes letdown cannot ferve God and Mammon." his hand, they prevailed; but as Efau had the most men on his fide; foon as his holy hand was again lif but Jacob had God on his fide.ted up to God in the heavens, they While the one was marshalling his were difcomfited. They could troop, the other was praying to not stand before prayer, tho' they his God-and prayer got the vic-could force their way against the nakedfword. From this important tory. VOL. II. No. 6. Dd piece of fcripture hiftory, we learn that prayer is a weapon peculiar to the Ifrael of God. How careful then they ought to be to keep this part of their armour in ufe and to keep it bright.: Even Mofes had fainting turns; his hands grew weary and he let them fall. What a mercy it was, that Aaron and Hur were with him to stay up his hands Had it not been for this, Ifrael, inftead of Amalek, would have been difcomfited. "Wo unto him, that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up." It was by prayer, that Jofhua gained a victory over the five kings, on that day when the fun flood. fill. And there was no day like that before it, nor after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Ifrael; Jofh. x. 14. We are not to underftand that this was the first and last day, in which the Lord ever heard prayer (a God hearing prayer is his memorial throughout all generations) but this was the only day, in which the fun ever stood still in answer to the prayer of a man. And this is a great monument, erected in the hiftory of the church to fhow the efficacy of prayer. · A Prayer was made great ufe of by David. Tho' he was a man of war and fought much with the fword; yet he fought more with prayer. Read the book of Píalms and you will be convinced of this. He fays, Pfalm cix. 3, 4. They compaffed me aboutalo with words of hatred; and fought against me without a caufe. For my love, they are my adverfaries; but I give myfelf unto prayer. This was his refort in all his troubles. He trufted in God. He did not depend on his own forefight, courage nor ftrength; but availed himfelf of the wifdom and power of Jehovah.. And prayer was the ftated way, which he took to draw forth thofe fupplies which he from time to time needed. "In all thy ways acknowledge him and he fhall direct thy paths." It was in this way, that David had the advantage of Goliah and Saul.. In other refpects, he was not a match for them. Goliah was ftronger and better armed than he, and Saul had the power of the kingdom on his fide; but David had the power of the eternal king on his fide; for he was eminently a man of prayer. It was by prayer, that king Afa, gained fuch a victory over that great army, under the command of Zerah the Ethiopian. And Afa cried unto the Lord his God, and faid,. Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many or with them that have no power: help us, O Lord, our God; for we reft on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude: O Lord, our God, let not man prevail against thee. Zerah had the most formidable army, but he did not make fach a prayer. It is probable, that in all his numerous army, which confifted of more than a thousand thousand, there was not one praying man. Doubtlefs they prayed to their dumb idols; but nothing can bemore ineffectual than fuch prayer. In the controverfy between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, prayer was reforted to on both fides; but Baal's prophets were not heard, tho' they cried aloud. There is but one prayer-hearing God. David addreffing himself to the Moft High, faith, O thou that beareft prayer! It is as much as to fay, that Jehovah is a prayer-hearing God, and that he is the only God, who does hear prayer. Therefore all prayer offered to 2 Chron. xiv. Chap. other gods is, in reality, no prayer; but words feattered in the wind. And there is but one way, in which prayer can be offered up to the living and true God, fo as to be accepted. Without faith, it is impoffible to pleafe God. The facrifice of the wicked is abomination to the Lord; but the prayer of the upright is his delight. The external of prayer is not peculiar to the people of God. Pharifees and hypocrites have prayed much in their way; but it is the prayer of the righteous alone, which availeth much. No other prayer avails any thing; fo that prayer, confidered as prevalent is peculiar to the people of the faints of the most high God. 66 a greater defence than walls of brafs. Who can believe the bible, and not feel the importance of having pious rulers? It would give great delight to all the pious part of a ftate or kingdom to have reafon to believe, that theirralers were daily fupplicating the king of kings for wifdom and direction, and for his blefling on the nation. Judah was blessed with more than one praying king: And more than once did the kingdom obtain a great deliverance, in answer to the prayers of its Prince, in union with others, who delighted to cali on God. Sennacherib threatened to deftroy Jerufalem, in the reign. of the pious Hezekiah. His army was great; his fuccefs had been great, and he was perfectly confident, that enfeebled Jerufalem could not withstand the force he brought againft it. Hezekiah felt his own weakness, and the weaknefs of his people; he was alfo acquainted with the ftrength, the valour and the fuccefs of the king of Affyria: But he knew there was a king in heaven more mighty than he. He felt for himself and his people but he felt more fenfibly for the infulted Majefty of heaven, whom this idolatrous king had ranked with the gods of the heathen. "And for this caufe, Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Ifaiah the fon of Amoz, pray That prayer gives the people of God a fuperiority over their enemies is clear, from reading the 20th chapter of the 2. Chron. When Moab and the children of Ammon came against Jehoshaphat with a great multitude he acknowledged before the Lord his inferiority to the enemy, and his entire dependance upon him for help. "O our God, wilt thou not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that cometh against us: neither know we what to do, but our eyes are upon thee." Hear the answer, which the Lord fent by his prophet to this prayingking; "Ye shall not need to fight in this battle; fet yourselves, ftand ye itilled and cried to Heaven. And the and fee the falvation of the Lord Lord fent an angel, which cut off with you, O Judah and Jerufalem; all the mighty men of valour, and fear not, nor be difmayed; to-mor- the leaders and captains in the camp row go out against them, for the of the king of Affyria; fo he reLord will be with you." It was turned with fhame of face to his even fo. Prayer and faith had done own land." What a mighty weapall-God made the enemies of his on is prayer! If John Knox was a praying people destroy one another. Hezekiah in prayer, it is no wonWhat a bleffing it was to Judah to der, that Queen Mary fhould fay, have at the head of the kingdom fuch a praying man as Jehoshaphat. He was to them, under Heaven, * Hezekiah's eminency in prayer will alfo appear by reading 2 Kings, chap. xx. "She had rather have an army of ten thousand men againft her than the prayers of John Knox." It appears from reading the book of Nehemiah, that the advantage, which he had over Sanballat and his companions, who endeavored to hinder the Jews from rebuilding Jerufalem and from fetting up the worship of God there, was greatly owing to his fervent prayers. Before he fet out for Jerufalem, he fat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and failed and prayed before the God of heaven. After he had built the wall, he kept a folemn and public faft at Jerufalem; at which time he made a most excellent and well adapted prayer. It is evident alfo, that he kept at the throne of grace, while the work was going on ;"Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and fet a watch against them day and night, because of them." Here, brethren, is a pattern for all of us. holy man began, carried on and ended his work, with prayer to God. This did not keep him from ufing other means. He was remarkably laborious and vigilant. He put his own hand to the work: he did every thing to excite others to diligence. No threats, no flatteries could ftart him from his poft, until the work, upon which he had his heart fo much fet, was finifhed. When he was folicited to go into the temple to avoid the attacks of his enemies, he nobly anfwered, "Should fuch a man as I flee and who is there that being as I am, would go into the temple to fave his life? I will not go in."§ This It Nehem. i. 4. † Nehem. chap. ix. Nehem. iv. 9.-fee aifo 4th and 5th verfes-fee alfo chap. vi. 9. "Now therefore, O God, ftrengthen my hands." The whole book of Nehemiah is calculated to ftir up a fpirit of prayer, was that daily intercourfe, which he had with God in prayer, which gave him this zeal and prefence of mind. It was owing to this, that he was fo fuperior to the power, malice and intrigues of his enemies, and the enemies of the peace of Jerufalem. Such a man was remarkably fitted for the great work of building up the walls of Jerufalem. "O rife fome other fuch!" The book of Efther will help to establish this point, That prayer is a weapon peculiar to thofe, who fight under Immanuel. Haman fought the deftruction of Mordecai and of all the Jews throughout the Perfian empire; and for a while every thing feemed to favour his wifhes. He had obtained a decree for their entire deftruction, in that kingdom, where it was a fixed maxim of the government, that no decree once paffed, fhould, on any account, be reverfed. He now felt fure of his prey, like the ravenous wolf, which has the tender, defencelefs lamb already in his paws. In fuch a critical moment, what could Mordecai and the feeble Jews do? Bleffed `be God! fome of them knew the way to the throne of grace. They knew a King, who could alter the laws even of the Medes and Perfians. They agreed to keep a faft of three days, which time was no doubt devoted to confeffion of their fins, and fupplication for God's unmerited mercies; particularly for the fpecial interpofition of his Providence to refcue their devoted nation from the jaws of a devour ing monster. Prayer was almost the only weapon, with which the y to ftrengthen the weak, to animate the languid, and to lead the defponding Chriftian to hope in God. For this purpofe let it once more be read.. |