effects of it. The tendereft Father breathing, although he plainly difcerns in the whole behaviour of an offending Child that he is heartily forry for his Offence, doth not extend to him the ufual expreffions of his Love and Favour, till he makes acknowledgement of his crime, and afks pardon for it; neither will God, how great foever his delight in mercy and goodnefs, exert thofe amiable attributes in our behalf, till we call upon him by Prayer and Supplication. If our wants were to be redreffed, and our defires fulfilled without any thing done on our parts, we might impute fuch bleffings to any rather than the true cause, and fo deprive God of the glory of his difpenfations; whereas now, when they are made, as it were, the confequence of our Prayers, we cannot but be fenfible, that to God we owe them, and to God we ought to be thankful for them. But, But, fay they, though it may be reafonable and neceffary to pray to a Being of infinite knowledge and goodnefs, furely it cannot be fo, to pray to a Being of abfolute immutability, who is not a Man that he fhould lie, nor the fon of Man, that ́he should repent; in whom there is no variableness, nor fhadow of turning; so that our prayers cannot have any effect to the changing of his purpofe, and reverfing his decrees. God's threats and promifes have always a regard to the Behaviour of Men, and have a condition implied if not expreft; fo that those who fall off from virtue unto vice, instead of being heirs to his promifes, become liable to his threats; and those who return from vice to virtue, inftead of being obnoxious to his threats become entitled to his promifes; the change is not in God, but in us; his fixt and immutable purpose is to purfue vice with punishment, and virtue with reward, through all the varying scenes of man's behaviour; and therefore, upon a change in that, he alters his measures, not thereby becoming mutable, but continuing conftant to his first refolution, of punishing the wicked, and rewarding the good. It is therefore no diminution to the divine immutability to listen to the Petitions of his Creatures, and grant them thofe bleffings upon their praying to him, which he had withheld from them upon their neglecting to do it; to fupply or prevent thofe wants which he had brought or determined to bring upon them, when they acknowledge their dependance and confidence in his goodness, together with thofe other virtues, which Prayer does naturally fuppofe, and outwardy cxpres. Trifling Trifling as thefe objections are found on examination, they are by much the strongest and moft plaufible that the enemies of Prayer have been able to advance; they are of fuch a nature as to bring the underftanding, as well as the integrity, of those who broach them into difrepute, and make us doubtful which to defpife moft, the wickedness of their hearts, or the weaknefs of their heads. Little can be offered for those who object to the mysteries of our most holy religion, but lefs can be faid for those who object to the duties of it; the former, though not againft, are yet much above our reafon, but the latter lie exactly level to our understandings, and are not lefs ftrongly recommended by Reason, than by Revelation; they are fuch as the heathen Philofophers were proud to embellish their fyftems with, though they cannot be digefted by fome of our politer Chriftians, It is not however to be wondered at, that those who go on in a course of wickednefs, fhould object to duties fo contrary to their headstrong paffions, and be willing to overthrow thofe laws which lay a reftraint upon their inclinations. It is Intereft, and not Reason, which speaks in them, they are against Religion upon no other account, but because Religion is against them, and think Chriftianity unreasonable for no other cause, but that they wish it fo. In general it may be obferved, that the lives of thofe who object to this duty of Prayer, or any other enjoined in Scripture, are fufficient to confute their objections, which can come with no ftrength, but from the mouths of those who |