§. Sect. 4 That we must pray in faith.
Secondly, it is required that we pray in faith; for we cannot come vnto God, before we beleeue that God is; and as the Apostle speaketh, How shall * 1.1 we call vpon God, in whom we haue not beleeued? seeing no man is willing to pray, vnlesse it be for forme and fashion sake, but he who is perswaded that God will be gracious vnto him and giue eare vnto his requests. Secondly, without faith our persons are not accepted of God, and they can no other∣wise be accepted but in Christ, nor we be in Christ but by faith: and con∣sequently our actions cannot please him, when our persons doe not, yea being tainted with our corruptions, they are turned into sinne. Thirdly, * 1.2 we can haue no accesse vnto God, but through Christ our Mediatour, be∣ing naturally dead in sinne, and the children of wrath as well as others; * 1.3 neither haue we any interest in Christ, till by a liuely faith we be ingrafted into him. Fourthly, without faith we haue no hope to be heard, seeing the prayer of the faithfull man onely auaileth with God, as the Apostle speaketh, and as we beleeue, so it shal be vnto vs. For we haue no assurance but from * 1.4 Gods promises, which are alwayes made vpon the condition of faith, bringing foorth the fruits of vnfained repentance. In all which respects, it is most necessary that we ioyne faith with our prayers, and first a iustify∣ing faith, which applieth vnto vs in generall, the promises of the Gospell, Christ Iesus and all his benefits, and assureth vs of the remission of our sinnes, of reconciliation with God, and that both our prayers and persons are accepted of him; whereby wee are imboldened to approch vnto the Throne of grace, that we may obtaine mercy, and finde grace to helpe in time of * 1.5 neede. And secondly, some more speciall acts and branches of this faith, which perswade in particular, 1. That our prayers in their seuerall parts are agreeable vnto Gods will and Word; that the things we pray for be good and lawfull, tending to the aduancement of Gods glory and our owne sal∣uation, and such as the Lord hath promised to bestow vpon vs. Secondly, that thus praying according to Gods will, he will heare vs graciously, and grant vnto vs euen those particular blessings and benefits which wee haue * 1.6 craued, and God hath promised to bestow vpon vs; namely, in that man∣ner which he hath promised to giue them: that is, when we begge spiri∣tuall graces and heauenly glory, which God hath absolutely promised without any condition, in some degree, as in his wisedome hee seeth fit∣ting for vs, we must accordingly absolutely beleeue that we shall receiue them; but when we craue temporall benefits which God hath promised conditionally, so farre foorth, as they will stand with his glory, and our spirituall good and euerlasting saluation, we must beleeue that wee shall obtaine them so farre foorth as they will stand with these conditions. And thus in both kinds we must pray in faith, and as much as in vs lyeth, ba∣nish wauering and doubting; for he that wauereth, is like a waue of the sea, * 1.7 driuen with the winde, and tossed to and fro: neither let that man thinke that he shall receiue any thing of the Lord. Now the best meanes to strengthen this