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the disciples: "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my

name.'

The meaning is not, as some have supposed, hitherto you have not made use of my name in your prayers; but hitherto you have not prayed, as my disciples ought to do. Hitherto your prayers have wanted somewhat of that spirituality, and heavenly-mindedness, which becomes my doctrine.

It is well known to all, that for a good while Christ's disciples had ambitious and worldly views, and desires of pre-eminence; which produced jealousies and emulations, inconsistent with the perfection of mutual love. But our Lord's death, and resurrection, and ascension to heaven, together with illuminations received from above, would enable them fully to understand the tenour of his doctrine, and raise their minds to things above. The glory of God, the interests of religion, and the real welfare of mankind, would then be their prevailing concerns, and they would be able to pray in Christ's name, as his disciples, and according to the rules, which he had given concerning prayer.

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We are led to this interpretation by the words, immediately following those of the text. "These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs," or parables. "The time cometh, when I shall no more speak to you in proverbs. But I shall shew you plainly of the Father."

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Our Lord had told the disciples "all things," John xv. 15, the whole scheme of the gospel; as we may clearly discern from the accounts of his ministry, which have been left us by the evangelists. But their prejudices, strengthened too by carnal affections, made them slow of understanding. Our Lord therefore now says to them: My discourses ⚫ oftentimes have appeared to you obscure, and you have 'not fully perceived my intention. Nor could I speak so plainly, as was to be desired. Because of the danger of offending you, some truths have been represented in am'biguous expressions. But now the time is coming, when all your prejudices will be removed, and you will clearly understand how God is to be worshipped, and you will comprehend and observe the directions which I have given you, as my disciples. Then you will be able to pray in a spiritual and acceptable manner. Ver. 26, "In that day ye shall" or will ask in my name, And I say not unto you that I will pray the Father for you. For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed, that I came out from God." Your requests will then be so reasonable and acceptable, that I need not in

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tercede for you, though I certainly shall do so. For your 'praying, and acting in other respects, as my disciples, the Father himself will love you, and manifest himself to you, and grant whatsoever you ask.'

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In that day, and thenceforward, you will not ask to sit, ' one of you on my right hand, and another on the left, in my kingdom; whilst the rest are offended, and jealous of partial respects for such petitioners; apprehensive, lest they should obtain a pre-eminence, to which they are not entitled, and prejudicial to others. But you will all desire the best things, in the first place. Such things you will desire for yourselves, and for each other, and for all 6 men. Your most earnest desires will be, that you may be • faithful to God, and that others may be so likewise, and 'so act in all things as to obtain eternal life.'

4. It is reasonable to infer, that all christians should be desirous to pray in the name of Christ, or, as his disciples, agreeably to the nature of his doctrine, and according to the rules which he has given concerning prayer.

So we ought to endeavour to pray, both in private and in public, particularly in public. There, especially, we ought to be careful to pray, as disciples of Jesus. Some will bring into their prayers their own particular notions about the fall of Adam, and its consequences, original sin, the corruption of the human nature, the incomprehensible order of divine decrees, election, grace, and other points. Others, and possibly the same persons, at other times, will introduce their particular system of the Trinity, or the person of Christ, and his transactions. But public prayer should be such as all christians can join in. We are not in our prayers to strive to impose our own notions upon others, or to exclude any christians from joining in the addresses we present to God. A minister, in his public prayers, is to offer up common requests and praises, the unfeigned devotions of the assembly. Public prayers are not to be Lutheran, nor Calvinistical, nor Arminian, but christian, and scriptural. There should be in them neither Arianism, nor Nicenism. How contrary to the christian and apostolical rule, to offer petitions, or make declarations in prayer, to which a sincere christian cannot assent, or about which he has doubts and scruples! For according to St. Paul's argument in Rom. xiv. "The kingdom of God is not meat and drink," or doubtful, contested, intricate systems and speculations: " but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. And he that in these things serveth Christ, is acceptable to God, and approved of [wise] men.

Let

us therefore follow after the things that make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another."

A preacher may in his discourses propose to the people his own senses and interpretations of scripture, and offer his reasons for them. But in public addresses to God he should offer common requests and thanksgivings, in which all sincere christians can unite. In a word, public prayers ought to be agreeable to the "common faith of God's elect," Tit. i. 4, and the doctrine of the "common salvation," Jude 3, preached by Christ and his apostles, to Jews and Gentiles, and all men under heaven.

5. We hence learn how to pray to God so as to be heard.

So is the text. "Hitherto ye have asked nothing in my name. Ask," that is, in my name, " and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full."

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To the like purpose in other places, already cited. xv. 7," If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you; ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." 1 John iii. 22, " And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in bis sight." And ch. v. 14, 15, “ And this is the confidence that we have in him; that if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us. And if we know, that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him."

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It is therefore a great happiness to have our desires regulated by the reason of things, and the will of God. To desire nothing but what is reasonable; to desire the best things, and to have them. This is great happiness. To have no desires, but what will be gratified. If we desire perishing riches, and do not obtain them, we are ruined. If we take care to lay up to ourselves treasures in heaven, and seek the kingdom of God, and its righteousness, in the first place; we shall have what we most desire, and a competency of other things therewith. The best things cannot be taken from us. If some other things are lost, those which are most valuable, and remain, will satisfy and support us. Let us then do all things in the name of Jesus Christ, ever acting as his disciples. And let us ask in his name, according to his directions, that we may receive the things which we ask, and "our joy may be full," or we may have abundant satisfaction and joy.

SERMON XXX.

THE WOMAN THAT ANOINTED JESUS WITH PRECIOUS

OINTMENT.

Verily I say unto you: Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.3 Matt. xxvi. 13.

THIS action of the woman here spoken of, who anointed our Lord with precious ointment, may at first appear a thing of little moment. But since our Lord signified his approbation of it, and declared that it would in future times be celebrated; it is not unlikely that it may afford us some profitable meditations, if we carefully consider it.

For which reason I shall review this history, and then make some remarks upon it; in which I shall endeavour to show how we may improve it to our benefit.

I. In the first place I shall review and consider this his

tory.

Our blessed Lord was now come up to Jerusalem, to keep the passover, at which he suffered. And, as you well know, he came up at this time several days before the day of the passover. But he took up his lodging at Bethany, a village near Jerusalem. In the morning he went up to Jerusalem, and taught there in the temple. In the evening he returned to Bethany. This was his method, till the night in which he ate the passover, according to the appointment of the law at Jerusalem.

Says St. Matthew, at ver. 6 and 7 of this chapter: "Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper," that is, who once had the leprosy, but had been cured, and probably by our Lord," there came unto him a woman, having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.'

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In St. Mark xiv. 3, "And being in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard, very precious, and she brake," or opened, "the box, and poured it on his head."

For the whole of that history, in the several Evangelists, see Matt. xxvi. 6-13; Mark xiv. 3-9; John xi. 2; and xii. 1-8.

That is the first part of the history, the action of this woman, or the respect shown by her to our Lord.

The second part consists of the notice which some took of it, in a way of censure. In St. Matthew's gospel, ver. 8, 9, it is thus expressed," But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, to what purpose is this waste? For it might have been sold for much, and given to the poor."

Or, as in St. Mark, ver. 4, 5, " And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said: Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her." In the computation of the price of the ointment, we must not think of our own, but of the Roman coin, then current in Judea, and other provinces of the Empire. The three hundred pence here mentioned night amount to about ten pounds of our money.

The third part of the history consists of our Lord's vindication of this action.

In St. Matthew, ver. 10-14, it is thus: "When Jesus understood it, he said unto them; Why trouble ye the woman? For she has wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you. But me ye have not always. For in that she has poured this ointment upon my body, she did it for my burial. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman has done, be told for a memorial of her."

In St. Mark this concluding part of the history stands in these words, ver. 6-9," And Jesus said; Let her alone. Why trouble you her? She has wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor with you always; and whensoever ye will, ye may do them good. But me ye have not always. She has done what she could. She is come beforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she has done, shall be told for a memorial of her."

The sum and substance of this apology of our Lord is to this purpose. You always have among you necessitous ' objects. And you may relieve them, whenever you please. There will be frequent opportunities for showing benevo'lence to them, if you have ability. I am as a stranger, ' and my stay among you will be short. I have often spoken to you of my departure. And you may be assured, the

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