One hundred and ninety sermons on the hundred and nineteenth Psalm preached by the late reverend and learned Thomas Manton, D.D. ; with a perfect alphabetical table directing to the principal matters contained therein.

Doct. After an ingenuous and open declaration of our selves to God, we find audience with him.

So did David, and so do all the Saints. He was never yet wanting to his people that deal sincerely with him in prayer. How doth God manifest his audience? either inwardly by the Spirit, or outwardly by Providence.

First, Inwardly by his Spirit, when he begets a perswasion of their acceptance with God, leaves an impression of confidence upon their hearts, and a quietness in looking for the thing they had asked. Before they have an answer of Providence, they have a perswasion of heart that their Prayer hath been accepted. There's a great deal of difference between accepting a Prayer and granting a Prayer: Gods acceptance is as soon as we Pray, but the thing we beg for is another thing, and distinct; 1 John 5. 14, 15. 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: Gods hearing of us, his audience is a distinct thing from the answer of his Providence, and there∣fore when he begets a confidence that we are heard, and the soul begins to be quieted in God and look up for Mercy, it is a sign of his accepting our Prayer though the benefit be not actually bestowed. David found a change in his heart many times as if one had come and told him the posture of his affairs were altered, it is otherwise with you than it was when you began to pray; therefore you have him in the beginning of a Psalm come in with bitter com∣plaints and groaning, his eyes were ready to drop out with grief, and presently he breaks out with thanksgiving, as, Psal. 6. 8, 9. Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old be∣cause of all mine enemies: presently, Depart from me all ye workers of iniquity, for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping: So Hannah, she had commended her request to God, and was no more sad, 1 Sam. 1. 16. That's one way of answer when we have declared our selves to the Lord, the heart looks out to see what will come of its Prayers; it begins to rest and is quiet in God, and look for some answer of the Mercy.

The Second Consideration, That the outward mercy in his Providence, is either in kind or in value. God doth not always answer us in kind, by giving us the thing asked; but doth give us something that is as good or better which contents the heart, by denying the thing de∣sired, and giving something equivalent. Many times we ask Temporal Mercies, De∣fence, Victory, Deliverance, and God gives Spiritual; we ask Deliverance and God gives Patience, 2 Cor. 12. 8, 9. Paul asked thrice that the thorn in the flesh might depart from him; but Gad gives him sufficient grace. God doth not answer us always according to our will, but

certainly according to our weal and profit: many times he will give the blessing in kind, but as other times he gives the value of it which is better: God may give temporal Comfort in kind, in anger; but the value, the blessing he never gives in anger, but always in love: when they ask∣ed meat for their lusts, God gave it in kind, in anger, Psal. 78. and I gave them a King in my wrath, Hos. 13. 11. when we are passionate and eager upon a temporal request, God doth an∣swer in wrath; the Mercy is more when he gives us that which is better.

Thirdly, God delays many times when he doth not deny, for our exercise.

1. To exercise our Faith, to see if we can believe in him when we see nothing, have no sensible proof of his good Will to us. The woman of Canaan she comes to Christ; and first gets not a word from him, Christ answered her nothing; afterwards Christ breaks off his silence, and begins to speak; and his speech was more discouraging than his silence; she meets with a rough answer, It is not meet to give the childrens bread unto dogs. Then the woman turns this rebuke into an encouragement, Lord! the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters ta∣ble. Then Christ could hold no longer: O woman! great is thy faith, be it unto thee even as thou wilt, Mat. 15. So many times we come to God, and meet with a silent Oracle, cannot get an answer; but if we get an answer, it may be we begin to think God puts us off as none of the sheep he is to look after: O! but when we wrestle through all these discouragements and temptations, then great is thy faith. In short, we pray for a blessing, and sometimes though God love the Suppliant, yet he doth not seem to take notice of his desires, that he may hum∣ble him to the dust, and may have a sense of his unworthiness, and pick an answer out of Gods silence, and grant out of his denial, and faith out of these discouragements.

2. To exercise our Patience. Heb. 6. 12. Be followers of them who through faith and pati∣ence inherit the promises. Our times are always present with us, but Gods time is not yet come. A hungry stomach would have meat before it's roasted or sod. Impatient longings must have green fruit, and will not stay till it be matur'd and ripened. Now God will work us out of this impatience. The troubles of the world are necessary for patience as well as faith.

3. To try our Love. Though we be not feasted with felt comforts, and present benefits, yet God will try the deportment of his children, if indeed he be the delight of their hearts, Isa. 26. 8. Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee. When we love God, not only when our affections are brib'd by some sensible experience or comfort, but when we can love God in the way of his judgments. A child of God is a strange creature, he can love God for his judgments, and fear him for his mercies. When our heart is like lyme, the more water you sprinkle upon it, the more it burns; our desires glow the more, the more disappoint∣ments we seem to meet with. We love his benefits more than we love God, when we delight in him only when he doth us good. But when we can delight in him even when our desires are delayed, and nothing appears but tokens of Gods displeasure, this is delight indeed.

4. To enlarge our desires, that we may have a greater income of his mercy. As a Sack that's stretched out, holds the more: God will have the soul more stretched out, when he means to fill it up with grace. Delays encrease importunities, Ask, seek, knock, Mat. 7. If God will not come at the first asking, we must seek: if seeking will not bring him, we must knock, be importunate, have no nay, Luke 11. 8. For his importunity sake he will arise. The man is im∣pudent, he stands knocking, and will not be gone.

Fourthly, God may seem sometimes to deny a request, yet the end of the request is accom∣plished: (for instance) God's children they have an end in their requests: we pray for the means with respect to an end. Now many times God gives the end when he will deny the means. Paul had grace sufficient, though the thorn in his flesh were not removed, 1 Cor. 12. 9. A Christian prays for the light of Gods countenance, for sensible feeling of Gods love; why? to strengthen him in his way. Now God denies him comfort, because he will do it by the word of promise, it shall not be by sensible comfort. We pray for victory over such a lust, the mortification of such a sin, why? that we may serve God more cheerfully. God denies such a degree of grace, because he will mortifie a greater sin, which is pride in the heart. And thus we miss the particular that we desire, yet still we have the end of the request. We pray for giving success to such an enterprize, why? that we may serve God safely; God will bring it about another way.

Fifthly, If God do not give us the blessings themselves we ask, yet he gives us many expe∣riences by the by, in the manner of asking; one way or other something comes into the soul by praying to God: as those in Psal. 84. their end was to go to Ierusalem, but in passing through the valley of Baca, they met with a Well by the way. So we meet with something by the way, some light, or some sweet refreshing, some new consideration to set us a work in the spi∣ritual life. By praying to God; unawares, unthought of by you, there are many principles of

faith drawn forth in the view of conscience, not noted before, some truth or other presented to the heart, or some spiritual benefit that comes in with fresh light and power, that was never aimed at by us.

USE 1. If God be so ready to hear his people, Let us not throw away our prayers as children shoot away their arrows; but let us observe Gods answer, what comes in upon every prayer; in every address you make to God, put the soul in a posture of expectation. Psal. 5. 3. I will pray and look up: and Psal. 85. 8. I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people. See what God speaks when you have been praying and calling upon him. It argues a slight formal spirit, when you do not observe what comes in upon your addresses. To quicken you to this, know,

1. If you observe not his answer, God loseth a great deal of honour and praise; for 'tis said, Psal. 50. 15. Call upon me in time of trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorifie me. Every answer of prayer makes for the glory of God: and Col. 4. 2. Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving. You are not only to see how your hearts are carried out in prayer, but watch for God's answer, that you may gather matter of praise. We should not be so barren in gratulation as usually we are, if we were as ready to observe our experiences, as to lay forth our necessities.

2. You lose many an argument of trust and confidence. Answers of Prayer are an argu∣ment against Atheism, which is so natural to us, and inbred in our hearts, it perswades us that there is a gracious being; Psal. 65. 2. O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come: we have called upon him, and found that there is a God; and against the natural unbelief which doubts of his truth in his Promises, Psal. 18. 30. The word of the Lord is a tried word: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. Well, saith the soul, I will build upon it another time; there is more than letters and syllables in it, there is something that speaks Gods heart, so Psal. 116. 2. The Lord hath heard my voice and my supplications: because he hath enclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live: Promises shall not lye by as a dead stock, I will be pleading them.

3. It encreaseth our love to God: when we see how mindful he is of us, and kind to us in our necessities, it is a very taking thing. Visits maintain friendship: so when God is mindful of us, it maintains an intercourse between God and us. Psal. 116. 1. I love the Lord, because he hath heard my supplications. Therefore observe what comes in upon your prayers, especially when your hearts are earnestly carried out by the impulses of his grace.

USE 2. To admire the goodness of God to poor creatures, that he should be at leisure to attend our requests, I declared my ways, and he heard me. When a poor soul that is of no regard among men, shall come with conflicts and temptations, and the Lord presently hear him, it renders his grace truly admirable. Psal. 34. 6. This poor man cryed, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. He doth not say, this eminent Prophet, or this great King; but this poor man. O! that such contemptible persons as we, should have such audience! For Great ones here in the world to let a poor man tell his tale at large, that would be count∣ed great patience, much more if he finds relief in the case. But beyond all this, observe the goodness of God, The more we declare our ways, the sooner doth he hear us; he doth not turn away from us when we tell him plainly we cannot believe in him, or trust in him. Come to a man, and tell him, You have made me great promises, but I cannot believe you speak truth, this will provoke him; but when you come to the Lord, and say, Lord, thou hast made a great many promises; though we cannot trust him as we should, yet we have declared our sins, conflicts, temptations, yet Lord pity our weakness.

Thirdly, Here is his Petition, Teach me thy statutes.

First, I observe, David having been once heard of God, expects to be heard in the like manner again; Here, Thou hast heard me; and then comes with a new request, Teach me thy statutes.