ready much better things than these, and hath yet far better in store for them; and what way soever the world go with them, this itself is happiness enough, that they are in his love, whose loving kindness is better than life". Sweet days have they that live in it. What better days would courtiers wish, than to be still in the eye and favour of the king, to be certain of his good will towards them, and to know of access, and of a gracious acceptance of all their suits Now thus it is with all the servants of the great king, without prejudice one to another; he is ready to receive their requests, and able and willing to do them all good. Happy estate of a believer! He must not account himself poor and destitute in any condition, for he hath favour at court; he hath the king's eye and his ear, the eyes of the Lord are upon him, and his ears open to his prayers.

The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous.] This hath in it, 1. His love, the propension of his heart towards them. The eye is the servant of the affection; it naturally turns that way most, where the heart is. Therefore thus the Lord is pleased to speak of his love to his own. He views still all the world, but he looks upon them with a peculiar delight; his eye is still on them, as it were towards them from all the rest of the world. Though he doth not always let them see these his looks, for it is not said, they always are in sight of it; no, not here; yet still his eye is indeed upon them, by the beauty of grace in them, his own work indeed, the beauty that he himself hath put upon them. And so the other of his ear too, he is willing to do for them what they ask, he loves even to hear them speak; finds a sweetness in the voice of their prayers that makes his ear not only open to their prayers, but desirous of them as sweet music. Thus he speaks of both', My dove, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice, for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.

2. The phrase expresses his good providence and readiness to do them good; to supply their wants, and order their affairs for them; to answer their desires, and thus to let them find the fruits of that love that so leads his eye and ear towards them. His eye is upon them, he is devising and thinking what to do for them; it is the thing he thinks on most his eyes are on all, but they are busied, as he is pleased to express it, they run to and fro through the earth, to shew himself strong in behalf of them, whose heart is perfect towards him, &c. His eyes are all the year on the land. And no wonder, then, he answers their suits in what is good for them, when it is still in his thoughts before; he prevents them with the blessings of his goodness', they cannot be so mindful of themselves, as he is of them.

This is an unspeakable comfort, when a poor believer is in great perplexity of any kind in his outward or spiritual condition. "Well, I see no way; "I am blind in this, but there are eyes upon me that "see well what is best. The Lord is minding me, "and bringing about all to my advantage. I am poor and needy indeed, but the Lord thinketh on me. That turns the balance. Would not a man, though he had nothing, think himself happy, if some great prince was busily thinking how to advance and enrich him? much more, if a number of kings were upon this thought, and devising together? yet these thoughts might perish, as the Psalmist speaks". How much more solid happiness is it to have him, whose power is greatest, and whose thoughts fail not, eying thee, and devising thy good, and asking us as it were, What shall be done to the man whom the king will honour?

And his ears are open unto their prayer.] What suits thou hast, thou mayest speak freely; he will not refuse thee any thing that is for thy good.

"O! but I am not righteous, and all this is for

2 Chron. xvi. 9. So Deut. xi. 12. 'Psalm xxi. 3.
n Psalm cxlvi. 4.

m Psalm xl. 17.

"the righteous only." Yet thou wouldst be such a one. Wouldst thou indeed? then in part thou art; as he modestly and wisely changed the name of wisemen into philosophers, lovers of wisdom. Art thou not righteous? yet (pie dixatos) a lover of righteousness thou art; then thou art one of these. If still thine own unrighteousness be in thine eye, it may and should be so, to humble thee; but if it should scare thee from coming unto God, and offering thy suits with this persuasion, that his ear is open, should it make thee think that his favourable eye is not toward thee: yet there is mercy, creep in under the robe of his Son. Thou art sure he is Jesus Christ the righteous, and that the Father's eye is on him with delight, and then it shall be so on thee, being in him. Put thy petitions into his hand, who is the great master of requests; thou canst not doubt that he hath access, and that ear open to him, which thou thinketh shut to thee.

The exercise of prayer being so important, and bearing so great a part in the life and comfort of a christian, it deserves to be very seriously considered. We will therefore subjoin some few considerations concerning it.

Prayer is considerable in a threefold notion, 1. As a duty we owe to God. As it is from him we expect and receive all; it is a very reasonable homage and acknowledgment thus to testify the dependence of our being and life on him; and the dependence of our souls upon him, for being, and life and all good; that we be daily suitors before his throne, and go to him for all. 2. As the dignity, and the delight of a spiritual mind, to have so near access unto God, and such liberty to speak to him. 3. As a proper and sure means, by divine appointment and promise, of obtaining at the hands of God those good things that are needful and convenient for us. And although some believers of lower knowledge do not (it may be) so distinctly know, and others not so particularly consider all these in it, yet there is a latent notion of them all in the heart of

every godly person, that stirs them and puts them on to the constant use of prayer, and to a love of it.

And as they are in these respects inclined and bent to the exercise of prayer, the Lord's ear is in like manner inclined to hear their prayer in these respects. 1. He takes it well at their hands, that they do offer it up as due worship to him, that they desire thus as they can to serve him. He accepts of those of ferings graciously, passes by the imperfections in them, and hath regard to their sincere intention and desire. 2. It pleases him well, that they delight in prayer, as converse with him; that they love to be much with him, and to speak to him often, and still aspire by this way to more acquaintance with him, that they are ambitious of this. 3. He willingly hears their prayers as the expressions of their necessities and desires, being both rich and bountiful, he loves to have blessings drawn out of his hands that way; as full breasts delight to be drawn. The Lord's treasure is always full, and therefore he is always communicative. In the first respect, prayer is acceptable to the Lord as incense and sacrifice, as David desires, the Lord receives it as divine worship done to him. In the second, prayer is as the visits and sweet entertainment, and discourse of friends together, and so is pleasing to the Lord, as the free opening of the mind, pouring out of the heart to him, as it is called, and calls it his words and his meditation; and the word for that signifies discourse or conference. And, in the third sense, he receives prayer as the suits of petitioners that are in favour with him, and that he readily accords to. And thus the words for supplication in the original, and the word here for prayer and that for cry in the Psalm, do mean; and in that sense the Lord's open ear and hearkening hath in it his readiness to answer, as one that doth hear, and to answer graciously and really, as hearing favorably.

I shall now add some directions, 1. For prayer, Psal. cxli. 2. P Psalm lxii. 8.

9 Psalm v. 1.

that it may be accepted and answered. 2. For observing the answers of it.

1. For prayer, the qualification of the heart that offers it. 2. The way of offering it.

1. As to the qualification of the heart, it must be in some measure a holy heart, according to that word here, the righteous, there must be no regarding iniquity, entertaining of friendship with any sin, but a permanent love and desire of holiness. Thus indeed a man prays within himself, as in a sanctified place, whither the Lord's ear inclines, as of old to the temple; he need not run superstitiously to a church, &c. intra te ora, sed vide priùs an sis templum Dei. The sanctified man's body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, as the apostle speaks', and his soul the priest in it, that offers sacrifice: both holy to the Lord, consecrated to him. 2dly, It must be a believing heart, for there is no praying without this. Faith is the very life of prayer, whence spring hope and comfort with it, to uphold the soul, and keep it steady under storms with the promises; and as Aaron and Hur to Moses, keeping it from fainting, strengthening the hands when they would begin to fail. Such is the force of that words, for the preparing of the heart which God gives as an assurance and pledge of his inclining his ear to hear, it signifies the establishing of the heart, as that indeed is a main point of its preparedness, and due disposition for prayer. Now this is done by faith; without which the soul, as the apostle St. James speaks, is a rolling unquiet thing, as a wave of the sea, of itself unstable as the waters, and then driven with the wind and tossed to and fro with every temptation. See and feel thine own unworthiness as much as thou canst, for thou art never bid to believe in thyself, no, but that is countermanded as faith's great enemy. But what hath thy unworthiness to say against free promises of grace, which are the basis of thy faith? So then believe, that you may pray; this is David's advice", Trust in him at all times ye people,

* 1 Cor. vi. 19.

Psal. x. 17.