For explication.
Q What is it to pray according to Gods will? These two things it holds forth at the first view,
1. When we pray for such things as are agreeable to Gods will, viz. his revealed will, we should ask nothing but what he commands us. In the Lords prayer Christ tels us what he would have us pray for, for those things we have warrant to pray.
2. What ever we ask, we ought to ask with submission of our wills to Gods will. So did Christ himselfe, Matth. 26.39. Not as I will, but as thou wilt. But for further inlargement.
1. A man is said to pray according to Gods will, partly as his will is exprest in his word, and partly as his will is revealed in our hearts.
For the will of God exprest in his Word.
1. God requires that we should ask for nothing but what he commands us to doe, and therefore had need to pray for; whatever duty God requires of us, that we are to pray for. So did David, Psal. 119.4, 5.
2. Whatsoever we pray for, God commands us to ask it in the Name of Jesus Christ, Joh. 16.22, 23, 24.
To ask in the Name of Christ requires two graces of us, Humility and Faith.
Humility of spirit in prayer is exprest in four acts.
1. We acknowledge our selves lesse then the least of Gods mercies, Gen. 32.10. So that if God should grant him nothing, he would justifie God.
2. Another act of Humility, is to pray in sense of our insufficiency to think a good thought, much more to pray according to Gods will, 2 Cor. 3.8. Rom. 8.26.
3. A man prayes in Humility, when he doth not desire God to satis∣fie any of his sinfull lusts, but that Gods will may be done, Matth. 26. vers. 39.
4. To pray in Humility, is to make mention of no mediation in our prayers, but onely of Christ, Col. 2.18. They made a shew of Humility, as not being so bold as to have immediate accesse to God, therefore put up their prayers through the mediation of some Angell; but to goe lower then God allows, is but pride of heart.
2. To pray in the Name of Christ, is to pray in Faith. Which is exprest in four acts.
1. Faith directs us to put up our prayers onely to him on whom we believe, Rom. 10.14. But we believe only in God, therefore neither Saints, nor Angels, nor the Mother of Christ, the Virgin Mary, are to be prayed to, but we are to pray to our Father onely, Gal. 4.5, 6. Rom. 8.15.
2. Faith makes us come with some child like confidence to God as our Father.
1. By Faith we come to God as our heavenly Father in Christ, and well affected to Christ, as loving us himselfe, Joh. 16.36.
2. We come to him as a Father Almighty, full of goodnesse, readyer to give then we to ask.
3. A third act of faith is, for a man to come truly cleaving unto Christ, not standing in demurre, whether we had best leave our lusts or no, whether we had best become altogether Christians or no. This wavering cannot stand with faith, for it's such a wavering as whereby he is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, a double-hearted man, an heart for God, and an heart for the world; sometimes for God, sometimes for his own lusts. Let not this man think he shall receive any thing. Jam. 1.6, 7, 8.
4. A fourth act of faith, is to believe that what we have asked ac∣cording to Gods will, he will certainly grant, Matth. 11.24. So far as you have asked with submission to his will, so far will he grant according to your