Question. Well, I am glad that you have showed me that I must worship God by confession of sin, and faith in Jesus Christ. Is there any other thing a part of the true worship of God? Answer. Yes, several; I will mention only two more at this time. Question. What are they? Answer. Prayer and self-denial. Question. Is prayer then a part of the worship of God? Answer. Yes; a great part of it. Question. How do you prove that? Answer. “O come let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” Psalm 95:5. Question. Is there another scripture proves it? Answer. Yes. “Then she came and worshipped him, saying, Lord help me.” Matthew 15:25. Question. What is prayer? Answer. A sincere, sensible, affectionate, pouring out of the soul to God in the name of Christ, for what God hath promised. Proverbs 15:8; Jeremiah 31:18,19; Psalm 42:2,3 4; John 14:13,14; 1 John 5:14. Question. Doth not everybody pray? Answer. No. “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God ; God is not in all his thoughts.” Psalm 10:4. Question. What will become of them that do not pray? Answer. They do not worship God, and he will destroy them. “Pour out thy fury (said the prophet)upon the heathen, and upon the families that call not upon thy name.” Psalm 79:6; Jeremiah 10:25. Question. But seeing God knoweth what we want, why doth he not give us what we need, without praying? Answer. His counsel and wisdom leadeth him otherwise. “Thus saith the Lord, I will yet be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them.” Ezekiel 36:37. Question. Why will God have us pray? Answer. Because he would be acknowledged by thee, that he is above thee; and therefore would have thee come to him as the mean come to the mighty. Thus Abraham came unto him. Genesis 18:27,30. Question. Is there another reason why I should pray? Answer. Yes; for by prayer thou acknowledgest, that help is not in thine own power. 2 Chronicles 20:6,12. Question. What reason else have you why I should pray? Answer. By prayer thou confessest that help is only in him. Psalm 62:1. Question. What other reasons have you? Answer. By prayer thou confessest thou canst not live without his grace and mercy. Matthew 14:30; Hebrews 4:16. Question. Are all that pray heard of the Lord? Answer. No. “They looked, (that is, prayed,) but there was none to save them; even unto the Lord, but he answered them not.” 2 Samuel 22:42. Question. To what doth God compare the prayers which he refuseth to answer? Answer. He compareth them to the howling of a dog. Hosea 7:14. Question. Who be they, whose prayers God will not answer? Answer. Theirs who think to be heard for their much speaking, and vain repetition. Matthew 6:7. Question. Is there any other, whose prayer God refuseth? Answer. Yes; there are that ask and have not, because what they ask, they would spend upon their lusts. James 4:3. Question. Is there any other, whose prayer God refuseth? Answer. Yes. “If I regard iniquity in my heart,” the Lord will not hear my prayer. Psalm 66:18. Question. Is the regarding of sin in our heart such a deadly hindrance to prayer? Answer. “Son of man, (saith God,) these men have set up their idols in their heart, and have put the stumbling-block of their iniquity before their face; should I be inquired of at all by them? I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb. And I will cut him off from the midst of my people.” Ezekiel 14:3,8. Question. Whose prayers be they that God will hear? Answer. The prayers of the poor and needy. Psalm 34:6; Isaiah 41:17. Question. What do you mean by the poor? Answer. Such as have poverty in spirit. Matthew 5:3. Question. Who are they that are poor in spirit? Answer. They that are sensible of the want and necessity of all those things of God, that prepare a man to the kingdom of heaven. Question. What things are they? Answer. Faith, hope, love, joy, peace, a new heart, the Holy Ghost, sanctification. See James 2:5; 2 Thessalonians 2:16; Ezekiel 36:26,27. Question. What do you mean by the needy? Answer. Those whose souls long, and cannot be satisfied without the enjoyment of these blessed things. Psalm 63:1; <19B920> Psalm 119:20. Question. Will God hear the prayers of such? Answer. Yes. “For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with good things.” <19A709> Psalm 107:9. Question. How shall I know that I am one of those to whom God will give these things? Answer. If thou seest a beauty in them beyond the beauty of all other things. <19B003> Psalm 110:3. Question. How else shall I know he heareth me? Answer. If thou desirest them for their beauty’s sake. Psalm 90:14,17. Question. How else should I know I shall have them? Answer. When thy groanings after them are beyond expression. Romans 8:26. Question. How else should I know, and so be encouraged to pray? Answer. When thou followest hard after God in all his ordinances for the obtaining of them. Psalm 27:4; Isaiah 64:5. Question. How else should I know? Answer. When thou makest good use of that little thou hast already. Revelation 3:8. Question. Are here all the good signs that my prayers shall be heard? Answer. No; there is one more, without which thou shalt never obtain. Question. Pray what is that? Answer. Thou must plead with God the name and merits of Jesus Christ, for whose sake only God giveth thee these things. “If we ask any thing in his name, he heareth us;” and, “whatsoever you ask the Father in my name, (saith Christ,) I will do it.” John 14:13,14. Question. Doth God always answer presently? Answer. Sometimes he doth, sometimes he doth not. Isaiah 30:19; Daniel 10:12. Question. Is not God’s deferring a sign of his anger? Answer. Sometimes it is not, and sometimes it is. Question. When is it no sign of his anger? Answer. When we have not wickedly departed from him by our sins. Luke 18:7. Question. When is it a sign of his anger? Answer. When we have backslidden; when we have not repented some former miscarriages, Hosea 5:14,15. Question. Why doth God defer to hear their prayers that have not wickedly departed from him? Answer. He loves to hear their voice, to try their faith, to see their importunity, and to observe how they can wrestle with him for a blessing.