pared for you, &c. Here we fee, that they were bleffed of the Father, in that he had provided an fuheritance, or kingdom for them, and that all thefe bleffings were originally given them by the Father, and were beftowed upon them according to his good pleasure, tho' the Son was the minifter of thefe bleffings to them. But this will appear moft evident from our Lord's answer to James and John, Matt. xx. 23, Ye shall indeed drink of my cup, and be baptized with the baptifm that I am baptized with; but to fit at my right-hand, and at my left [is not mine to give] but for whom it is prepared of my Father. Here we fee, that tho' Chrift will be the actual difpenfer of the benefits which the mother of James and John pray'd to him for, and fo will actually place thofe, whom his Father fhall appoint, at his right-hand and at his left in his kingdom; yet he folemnly declared it was not his to give; and confequently it was not he, but his Father only, which ought properly to be pray'd to for them. Befides, there are three things obfervable, which are of great importance to the prefent queftion. First, Our Lord feems very much to difcourage his people from putting up their addreffes to him, John xvi. 23. In that day ye shall afk me nothing. Now if our Lord hath fo far the difpofing of benefits in his hand, as that he is the proper object to be fought to for them; then it is very unlikely, that he would have difcouraged us from putting up our petitions to him for them. And, if this was the proper way of doing him honour, he would never have difcourag'd the practice of it, because he has reprefented it as a crime in us, to withold from him any honour which is his due, John v. 23. He that boncureth not the Son, honoureth ot the Father which beth fent him. Secondly, Our Lord hath directed his people to put up all their addreffes addreffes to the Father; and he has likewife di rected them what arguments to use with his Fa ther, for the obtaining the benifits prayed for, viz. that they fhall defire God to give them, upon this account, and for his fake. Now it is difficult to fuppofe that our Lord would direct his people to put up their addreffes to the Father, and direct them to make ufe of his name with the Father, in order to obtain their petition, if he himself had thofe very bleflings abfolutely in his own hand, and at his own pleasure to beftow, antecedent to thofe prayers. Thirdly, the facred records of the chriftian religion declare, that Chrift is afcended into heaven, there to appear in [the prefence of God for us and that he continually makes interceffion for us, and the like. Now it is unrea sonable to suppose, that our Lord should intercede with, and make an intereft to his Father for the obtaining thofe very bleffings to his people, which are already abfolutely in his own hand, and at his own disposal, antecedent to that interceffion; and confequently, it is juftly a question, Whether our Lord, is the proper object of prayer for all things? If it should be here objected, first, that tho' God is the original fountain and giver of all good things, and fo is most proper to be fought to for them; yet notwithstanding, as we may petition even our fellow-creatures, mankind, for those very benifits, which they are but inftruments in God's hand in beftowing upon us; fo confequently much more may we petition our Saviour for those benefits, which he is only an inftrument in his Father's hand in the diftribution of. I answer, When we petition God for thofe things, which we likewife petition our fellow-creatures, mankind, for, the fense of such petitions is, or at least ought to be, that we defire God so to dispose of things, things, in the courfe of his providence, as that, by our honeft endeavours, we may obtain the good things we want and pray for. Now our pe titioning our fellow-creatures for the fame things is a part of our endeavour, for as we are not to expect that God should work a miracle for our help, if that help can be obtained in an ordinary way; fo it is our duty to use our endeavour for its attainment, which endeavour fometimes confifts in acquainting our fellow-creatures with our wants, and ftirring up in them, by our prayers, a difpo fition to help us; which knowledge and difpofition otherways they may be deftitute of, and confequently may not know that we are the objects of their pity, or that it is God's will that they fhould relieve us. But, with refpect to our Saviour, the cafe may reasonably be fuppofed to be quite otherways; because we have reafon to fuppofe that he wants neither knowledge nor difpofition to communicate whatfoever his Father fhall put into his hand to bestow upon us. Besides, tho' mankind has no fuch thing as property, with respect to God, yet they have fuch a thing, with refpect to one another; and confequently, tho' with refpect to God, whatever they do is all duty, yet with refpect to men, whatever they properly give is all bounty: and therefore, for these things, they are the proper objects of our prayers; because, with refpect to us, they give what is their own. But as to our Saviour, he chufes to difown any property in the benefits which his Father hath put into his hand to distribute, Matt. xx. 23. To fit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to give] but for whom it is prepared of my Father. If it should be objected, fecondly, that as we acknowledge our dependence upon God by praying to him; fo we may also acknowledge the divine power of our Lord, and that he is the head over all all things for the good of his Church, by prayers and thanksgivings, tho' he will diftribute his favours according to the appointment, and to the honour of his Father. I answer, As the laws of common equity, as well as the chriftian revelation, oblige us to render to all their due, Honour to whom honour; fear to whom fear; tribute to whom tribute is due; fo it is our duty to render to the Father the honour which is due to his name; and to the Son the honour which is due to him, by acknowledging what he hath done and fuffer'd for us, and procured to us; to acknowledge, to his praife, that great inftance of his love, in laying down his precious life in our caufe, and for our fakes; and for that he hath redeemed us to God by his blood, out of every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people. But tho' we ought to make ufe of all proper ways and means, to honour and wor fhip our bleffed Redeemer; yet we should avoid ufing fuch as may be improper ways of doing it, fuch as are contrary to his directions, and which may eclipfe the glory of his Father. And confe quently we fhould not chufe to put up our petitions to him for those things, which he hath directed us to afk of the Father in his name; because as this is acting contrary to his direction, fo it is a petitioning him for that, which, in the most proper fenfe, is not his to give, and is a putting him in his Father's ftead. Our Lord told his dif ciples, that they were his friends, if they did whatfoever he commanded them; and confequently they do Chrift the trueft and most exceptable honour, who honour him in the way which he hath directed them. If it fhould be objected, thirdly, that St. Stephen prayed to Chrift, Acts vii. 59. Lord Jefus receive my fpirit. Anfwer, I do not fay that Chrift is in no refpect the proper object of prayer. For it may be pro proper to pray to him for his interceffion, as I have already obferv'd. But as to St. Stephen, the cafe I take to be this, He had been conferring with the unbeleiving Jews, concerning the perfon and ministry of our bleffed Lord; and when these unbeleivers were not able to gainfay, nor refift the wisdom and the fpirit by which he fpake, this fo ftirred up the malice and indignation against him, that they gnafhed upon him with their teeth. But it pleased God, at that instant, to give him a glorious view of the exalted state of our bleffed Redeemer at God's right hand; for the heavens opened, and he saw the glory of God, and Jefus ftanding at the right hand of God. And this he declared to the people, which fo much the more encreas'd their anger against him; for they stopped their ears, and ran upon him, and caft him out of the city, and stoned him. Now while they were embrewing their hands in his precious blood, and while he was beholding the glory of God, and Jefus ftanding at God's right hand, and being juft entring into a state of feparation of foul and body, he, in thefe, circumftances, firft addreffes himself to, our Saviour Chrift, by a modest resignation of his foul into his hands, faying, Lord Jefus receive any fpirit: which is as much as if he had faid, Lord into thy hands I refign up my fpirit, and do thou receive or embrace it in the arms of thy love. And when he had thus addrefs'd our Saviour, he then addreffes himself to God, in the behalf of his murderers. Which address, as it was diftinct from the former, fo there is a circumftance peculiar to it, which the hiftorian particularly takes notice of, viz. He kneeled down, which was a pray ing pofture: He kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this fin to their charge; and when be bad faid this, he fell asleep. Now tho' St. Stepben did addrefs our Saviour, as aforefaid, yet his |