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Show 2. 'Ujt. 'The Applle.ttiDrt M~ hear ~ I that am continually hearing thoufaods and teo thOll• hods of glorious Angels never 1\aioed ":ith the _guilt of t}n; that am continually hearing thoufands 0f glonfied Saants, fin gang _Hallelujahs unto him th•t firs on the Throne.; 1. tha~ need not wher thdrvoices or thine.Bieffed Lord! what love as thtsfor thee to lend an ear to the clefts of the Rocks, to the holes of the !lairs, to the cottages of Sinners~ what is this for thee to come and Hlen _at pur Clofet-doors ~ My voict ! Lord, what Mufi_ck can my votcc make in thy ears ! My voict hath been ufcd to atilt words, filthy Jpucbu words ofimpatitnct aHd unbtlirf; "'ilt thou hear my voice, the language of that tongue that hath fo dilhonoured th~e? My voice l Lord ! my voice is but the melaoc;holy mournang of a Turtle, the chattering of a Crane: my voice, take it at ~ell is but a !\uttering, 1\ammerlng voice, a !if ping imperfeCt v?1ce _; .and 'doth the Lord fay, Ltl mt hear thy voice l But what IS thas further that my Lord faith, For thy voice ;s fwe~t. Bleffed Lord! thy ears are not as the ears of man furely; thy Judgment not as mans judgment; I cannot judg my voice fweet, I cannot repeat my Prayer in my thoughts, but I could even link down upon therepetition, to confider how I have lif~ed out my fio.s, 1\ammered out my petlrions,fpoken lhort,aod chpt cff thy pratfes. Man, linful man ! fornetimes hears me,and learned men too: They mock me and call my voice contiHg and non.j<Hfe, and long.wiltdtd-devotion, &c. How doth my Lord call this voicefwettl Oh! 'tis love, norhi~g but love; Love makes fpots Beauty. Love calleth every thing gpod from the Objefr Be!oved. ? my. ~oul, _be thou (wallowed uP:.in the meditation oftbts Love, an thts anfimteCondefcen! ion. In the fecond place, what an Armour. of proof is this againtl the Temptation Chriflians. have to rtflralll Proytr from tkt Almighty, from the fcolfJand ]«" of profane and linful mm tn the times we live ! 1 quellion whether there was ever any Age ~f the world, in which the fpirit of Supplication was m~re plenufully poured out upon Minillers or People : or wher:m It was more blafPhemed by wicked and ungodly me~. ~ praymg-peo.ple _ is made a jur, and a nick;-name; and Pray~ng as called. cantt•t.. tall<jng 'non.fe•ce, &c. The Lord lay not thiS lin to thetr charg<. Chrifl calls tliis voice j'Riett, they call it b•'RIIing, non-fence,&c. But Chrilllans what matter is it what they think oflt? It as not to , them them you fpeak, but unto God; ·it is to his judgment you llanJ: what if rude people jeer the Woman beca~re !he lifps, or llammers a link, if her beloved calls her voicej'Riut, that's enough to her. Go on Chrillians, let them mock on ; in this fenfe be you mort 111/e i.JI tb<ir ~yu : That which grates in thdr ears makes Mu!ick on the other fide of the llars. Chrifi faith, thy voiot ;, [weet ; But oh, You who have not made your forehe•ds as bra(<, Take heed how you mock at the Prayers of honefi hearts, take heed ho,. you difcpurage Souls in offering up unto Chrifi; what he hatn told you he delights in. Third I~, Obferve, Cbrift wiU bear bi1 Spoufa vuice. Hence on~ ~· Vfo. or two thmgs : t. There is a Vocal frayer, ChrijlianJ d .. ry. There are [orne in the Age wherein we live, who would retlrain the duty of Prayer whoUy to the in'Riard malt , and th<nce make no matter concerning words in Prayer, whether they be our o:r>/1 word1, or the fPords •f Qtber~ ;, but Chrill deli res to hear our voice, as well as to fee the deli res of our heart. There are calves of the lips, which are a Sacrifice God requires; Thtre is an homage of voc.l Prayer due to God, and ~het~er this can be paid unto God; by recital of what Is not concetv~d tn our. hearts, may be a quellion, as well as ,.,bethe~ the readmg_of a. Sermon made by another, be the preaching wht~h God rcquar~s. However, as that inflruCting a people by r.cadmg a.Serm~n ts be~ter than no infirufrion; and as it is the duty of h1m to hft up has heart to God, whofe tongue is cut out that he cannot fpeak, fo it may not only be lawful,. but the duty of them who cannot firtl form a voice for God in th~ir own .hearts to lift up thdr hearts, and fee oth«rs upon lifting up theirs t~ Goi by the help of others W<i>rds. But whether this be a true fulfi~ ling of this and other Precepts for Vocal p.,.ayer, may be a quellton, though I !hill not here concern my feif in .it. 2. Secondly, If.Ouifihimfelf will hear hisSpo~<[<Jvoice, what need we go fo far about as the Papiftl, in [peaking ro the Virgi~< M>ry I to fpe~k to ~er Son, no need of that Complement. Chlift c~lls for your tmmedaate Prayers, he. will take your Petitions into hts own ha?d •. Suppofe then that the glorified Saints knew our hearts ( whtch IS the tncommunicible property of God;) Suppofe they knew OU1ftate and 'R!anu, which the Prophet denieth, telling liS, (Abrab.:m k,J<ow1 111 not, and Ifrael ;1 ignDrii!Jt 4 HI.) Suppol~ II. 63. tf. d1ean |
