of offering up fuch joint publick Prayers as do truly deferve that Name! May we all be as thankful for thefe Bleffings, and as diligent in the Ufe, as we are happy in the Enjoyment, of them; or our Ingratitude will be an Aggravation of our Guilt in neglecting them.

Having diftinctly confider'd the Nature of Prayer, and fhewn wherein it differs from Contemplation; the next Thing to be confider'd is, the proper Object of our Prayers.-Under which Head I do not intend to give an hiftorical Account, much lefs a Confutation of all the feveral Kinds of Idolatry that have been practis'd among Heathens, Jews, and Chriftians, but only to enquire how far all invifible Creatures, as fuch, are excluded from being proper Objects of our Prayers.

CHAP III.

Concerning the Object of Prayer.

PRA

RAYER, as I have shown, is that Act of the Mind by which we addrefs our Thoughts, direct, or fpeak, them to another Being. This we, Men, are capable of doing to one another, either to ask the Affiftance of each other, to acknowledge the Receipt of Benefits, or to exprefs the good Opinion which we entertain of one another. And all this is very right while we keep within proper Bounds; that is, while we do not ask any thing of a Man which none but God can give, as the King of Affyria did

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when he fent his General to the King of Ifrael to be miraculously cured of his Leprofy, as our Lord cured his Difciples by a Word of his Mouth; or thank him for Bleffings in fuch a Manner as implies a Denial of God's being the great Governour of the World, and the original Fountain of all human Bleffings; or ascribe such Perfections to him, either in Kind, or Degree, as belong only to the Deity; as in the Cafe of Herod, when the People, in Compliment to him for an eloquent Speech, faid, it was the Voice of a God, and not of a Man. But, all invifible Creatures, are naturally incapable Objects of our Addreffes, or Prayers, of kind. I call any Being naturally an incapable Object of our Addreffes, which is of fuch Nature, and in fuch Circumftances, that it is impoffible for us to know whether it will be to any purpose to address ourselves to it. Let us, then, confider how this Matter ftands with regard to invifible Creatures. In the firft place, All Creatures being of a limited Nature, it is impoffible for us to know whether any invifible Creature be prefent with us when we addrefs ourselves to it. Archbifhop Tennison, in his learned Treatife on Idolatry, obferves, that the Power of God being infinite, we cannot know but that he may be able to create a Being that may be every where, as well as in any particular Place. Strictly fpeaking, this is true: But, then, with Reverence to his Grace's Character, I muft obferve that even Omnipotence can create but one fuch Being, because it feems, to my Apprehenfion, that two created Beings

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Beings cannot be in the fame Place, at the fame Time; whereas the Scriptures affure us that there are Multitudes of invifible fpiritual Substances furrounding us, and frequently changing their Situation. It is the Prerogative of God to be able to pervade other Beings, or to be, at the fame Time, in the very fame Place, with any other Being; confequently, tho' there might, as far as we can tell, have been a Creature made capable of being every where present, yet we are affur'd, from there being more Creatures than one, that there can be no fuch Creature as an omniprefent one: I mention this only as a Matter of curious Speculation, not as a Point of Confequence: For, if it were poffible in Nature, we could not poffibly know that there actually is fuch a one, there being no fuch Truth revealed to us by God. On the contrary, the Scripture makes mention of no other omniprefent Being but the Deity, and always mentions bis Omniprefence as peculiar to Himself. Solomon, in his Prayer of Dedication, fays to God, the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain thee, much lefs this House. And God fays of himfelf, Heaven is my Throne, and the Earth is my Footstool. Am I a God at band, and not a God afar off. The Pfalmift most elegantly, as well as fully, expreffes his Immenfity, or Omniprefence, Whither fhall I go from thy Spirit, or whither fhall I go from thy Pre"fence? If I afcend up into Heaven, thou art "there; if I go down into Hell, thou art there "alfo; if I take the Wings of the Morning, "and remain in the uttermoft Parts of the Sea, ་་ even

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even there alfo fhall thy Hand lead me." There are variety of Paffages in the Scriptures of the old and new Teftament to the fame purpofe, all of them fetting forth God's Immenfity, or Omniprefence. And it is neceffarily implied, in the Nature of Things, that when God gives a particular Account of his natural Attributes, it must be by way of Diftinction, and that what he fays of his own Nature cannot be faid of his Creatures. As to us, Men, we know that we are, all, limited, and can occupy but a small Part of Space at one Time; and, confequently, the greatest Saint that ever lived, after he is dead continues to be as limited as when he was alive, and can occupy no more Space. As to the Angels, we are affured that they are not only limited, like Men, but perpetually changing their Situation; fo that when the Papifts pray to any Saint, or Angel, it is impoffible for them to know whether the Being to whom they pray be at that Time present with them.

But, fuppofing we were able to tell when any particular Saint, or Angel, is prefent with us, it could not be privy to our Thoughts, and, confequently, all fuch Prayers, or Addresses of the Mind, could be of no manner of Signification; and that Saints and Angels cannot know our Thoughts, we are as certain as we are that the Scriptures are true; for, they expreffly declare, that it is God that feeth in Secret and is privy to the Thoughts and Intents of the Heart. Solomon, in particular, fays, not only that God knoweth our Thoughts, but that he alone is capable of doing

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doing it, 1 Kings viii. 39. And God's Ability to know the Secrets of our Hearts is a neceffary Inference which the Scriptures draw from his having created us. Understand, ye brutish, (fays the Pfalmift) He that planted the Ear fhall not be bear, be that made the Eye fhall not be fee? Then it follows, The Lord knoweth the Thoughts of Men. The fame Inference God draws from his Omniprefence; Am I God at hand, and not afar off: From whence he infers, Can any bide bimfelf in fecret Places that I shall not fee him. And, therefore, as it is God only that is every where prefent, and privy to our Thoughts, be only is a capable Object of our religious Addreffes.. The Worship of Saints and Angels is full as fenfeless and ridiculous as any of the Heathen Idolatry. The Holy Scriptures frequently deride the Worshippers of thofe Deities, which wanted the Perfections neceffary to render them capable Objects of Worship. It was a bitter Taunt to the Priefts of Baal, when Elijah bad them cry aloud, for your God is either talking, or pursuing, or on a Journey, or, peradventure, be fleepeth, and must be awaked. So when a Papist prays to a Saint, or an Angel, he knows not but that the Object of his Worship may at that Time be at a vast Distance from him, or, if prefent, as ignorant of what is faid to him, as Baal was of the Prayers of his Worshippers; unless God has told them that he will always make known to Saints and Angels, fuch Addreffes as are made to them by Men. But where do they find any Directions in Scripture to tell any of them to what