VINCENT, 
 N^TH^NmEL 
 Spirit Of 
 Prayer 
 
VIIviCENT, 
 N/\TH^NmEL 
 Spirit Of 
 Prayer 
 
 I 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 Pray Always 1 
 
 All Prayer 66 
 
 Supplication in the Spirit 109 
 
 Watch in Prayer 136 
 
 Persevere in Prayer 173 
 
 Supplication for all Saints, 194 
 
 ^S^-vi- 
 
THe 
 SPIRIT OF PRAYER, 
 
 EPHESIANS Vi. li 
 
 Praying always with all prayer aad supplication 
 in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all per- 
 severance and supplication for all saints. 
 
 THE Apostle looking upon the Ephe- 
 sians as militant saints, and fighting, 
 not against flesh and blood, but against 
 principalities and the powers of darkness ; 
 instructs them, towards the latter end 
 of this chapter, how they might become 
 more than conquerors. To this end he 
 tells them, first of all, where their strength 
 lay ; they must " be strong in the Lord, 
 li 
 
2 PRAY ALWAYS. 
 
 and in the power of his might," verse 10; 
 and then gives them a complete armour, 
 which being put on, and the several 
 pieces of it skilfully used, the wiles of 
 Satan will be frustrated, and themselves 
 enabled to withstand in the evil day, and 
 having done all to stand. 
 
 1 . They must be girded about with the 
 girdle of truth. By error Satan has great 
 advantage ; how many, like children, are 
 tossed to and fro by every wind of doc- 
 trine ! but a judgment rightly informed 
 and well settled, that buys the truth and 
 will by no means sell it, has a great influ- 
 ence upon a Christian's stedfastness and 
 growth in grace. 
 
 2. They must have on the breast-plate 
 of righteousness ; they must be righteous 
 in heart, righteous in sincerity. A con- 
 science, purged from dead w^orks, is a 
 better defence than a wall of brass. Sa- 
 tan cannot so easily disquiet them that 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 3 
 
 are sincere, neither is he able to corrupt 
 them ; their holiness being true, sin is 
 hated, the allurements unto sin are con- 
 temned, and God is followed hard after. 
 
 3. Their feet must be shod with the 
 preparation of the gospel of peace. They 
 must be encouraged by that peace which 
 the gospel publishes, to run the way of 
 God's commandments; and that though 
 those ways are never so difficult and un- 
 pleasant to flesh and blood, they must 
 hold fast the profession of their faith, and 
 depart from evil, and go in the path that 
 is called holy; though by thus doing, 
 they never-so-much expose, and make 
 themselves a prey. 
 
 4. Above all, they must take the shield 
 of faith, whereby they may quench the 
 fiery darts of the wicked. Satan's tempta- 
 tions are darts ; he does design our 
 wounding, our pain, our death, in shoot- 
 ing of them : and these darts may well be 
 
 B 2 
 
4 PPvAY ALWAYS. 
 
 called fiery ; they are shot from hell, and 
 a hell in the conscience they make, if 
 they are not quenched ; but faith is a 
 shield to repel and beat them back : Faith 
 makes application of the righteousness 
 and strength of Christ ; and by this means, 
 not only former wounds are assuaged and 
 healed, but the soul is more secured for 
 the future. 
 
 6. The helmet of salvation must cover 
 their heads in this day of battle v^^ith evil 
 angels. A lively hope of salvation is very 
 encouraging both unto patient continuance 
 in well-doing, and also unto suffering for 
 the sake of righteousness. 
 
 6. The Apostle tells them, that the 
 sword of the Spirit, which is the word of 
 God, must be made use of. If this word 
 be understood, believed, thought on, 
 loved, stood in awe of; if it thus abide in 
 us, we shall be strong, and overcome the 
 evil one. 
 
FRAY ALWAYS. O 
 
 These are the pieces of the armour of 
 God. But in this combat with the devil, 
 is there not need of auxihary forces ? cer- 
 tainly there is a necessity of succour from 
 heaven. The captain, therefore, of our 
 salvation, must be looked unto, and di- 
 vine aid continually implored and begged 
 for. By prayer we have power with God, 
 and power against our spiritual enemies 
 No wonder that the apostle enjoins ''pray- 
 ing always with all prayer and supplica- 
 tion in the Spirit." &c. 
 
 The text may be divided into these 
 parts : 
 
 1 . Here is a duty commanded, in the 
 performance of which lies safety ; and that 
 is, praying. 
 
 2. The extent of this duty, it must be 
 always, and it must be with all prayer. 
 
 3. The due quahfications of this duty, 
 which are these following : 
 
 1st, It must be in the Spirit. 
 
O PRAY AL^yAYS. 
 
 2d, It must be with watching. 
 
 3d, It must be with all perseverance. 
 
 4. It must be with a public spirit; we 
 must pray for all saints, as well as for 
 ourselves, since they are engaged in the 
 same war. 
 
 That these words may be better under- 
 stood, I shall answer these several ques- 
 tions : 
 
 1. Is there any difference between 
 prayer and supplication ? I answer, the 
 v^ord which is translated prayev; Joes in- 
 timate 'we have to do with God in prayer ; 
 to him we are to direct our petitions as 
 an hearer, as an helper. The word whiclx 
 is translated supplication, does intimate, 
 that there must be an acknowledgment 
 of our own indigency and wants, and 
 a looking to the all-sufficient Lord for 
 supply, 
 
 2. Anotlier question is this: What is 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 7 
 
 meant by praying always ? I answer, the 
 Greek phrase whicji the Holy Ghost 
 useth, signifies, To pray every opportunity 
 that is offered. This text gives no en- 
 couragement unto the fond sect of the 
 Euchites, who thought that prayer was to 
 be their whole business : No, no ; there 
 are other duties which God calls for, and 
 which this of prayer must not jostle out. 
 But all those opportunities which are 
 afforded for prayer, must be heedfully 
 observed, joyfully laid hold on, and dili- 
 gently improved. This is to pray always. 
 It is said of Mephibosheth, that he did eat 
 always, or continually at the king's table. 
 2 Sam. ix. 13. What! shall we from 
 hence infer, that he spent day and night 
 in nothing but eating ? no such matter ; 
 but when the season of meal-time came, 
 he was present. So to pray always, is to 
 pray whenever prayer is seasonable. 
 3 A third question is, What is meant 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 
 
 by all prayer ? Bullinger refers this to the 
 intention of fhe mind ; saying, that in this 
 duty, there must be all possible devotion, 
 and intentness, and fervency of heart. 
 But Musculus understands prayer of every 
 sort ; and indeed all kinds of prayer which 
 God has appointed are needful, and the 
 Lord is ready by the communications of 
 his grace, to encourage to the practice of 
 this duty in the full extent and latitude 
 of it. 
 
 4. Another question is this : What are 
 we to understand by prayer in the spirit? 
 Some refer this clause to the thing asked, 
 as if we should slight all worldly enjoy- 
 ments, and ask only for those blessings 
 that are spiritual. It is confessed that 
 spiritual blessings are to be most prized, 
 and to be begged with the greatest im- 
 portunity ; but yet temporal mercies may 
 also with submission be desired. Daily 
 bread we are allowed to ask for ; and that 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 9 
 
 bread is sweetest, and most blest, that is 
 the fruit of prayer. Others observe, and 
 rightly, that this passage, praying in the 
 spirit, may have relation both to the 
 Spirit of God, and the spirit of him that 
 prays. 
 
 It may have relation unto the Spirit 
 of God. The Holy Ghost " makes inter- 
 cession for believers, according to the will 
 of God ; he helps their infirmities, who of 
 themselves know not what to pray for a.^ 
 they ought." Rom. viii. 26, 27. 
 
 It may have relation unto the spirit 
 of him that prays. Prayer must be the 
 offspring of the heart, or else it will not 
 be of any value or efficacy. The spirit of 
 a man must understand what, and the 
 worth of what is prayed for, and the affec- 
 tions must be stirred in order to the at- 
 tainment of it. 
 
 5. A fifth question is. What are we to 
 understand by Avatching unto prayer with 
 
10 PRAY ALWAYS. 
 
 all perseverance? We must watch over 
 our hearts, and watch for God,' and this 
 must be with continuance ; unless we 
 continue to watch and pray, we may 
 quickly enter and fall into temptation. 
 And since all militant saints are in danger 
 as well as we, and stand in so near rela- 
 tion to Christ and to us, we should be 
 much concerned for them, so as to desire 
 their safety and welfare as ovir own. 
 
 There are Six Doctrines which these 
 words afford us. — 
 
 1. A Christian's security lies very much 
 in praying always. 
 
 2. All prayer is of concernment to be 
 used. 
 
 3. Prayer, when rightly performed, is 
 supplication in the spirit. 
 
 4. In prayer, vv^atching is a necessary 
 ingredient. 
 
 5. VVe must persevere if we would 
 speed in prayer. 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 11 
 
 6. Our spirits must be so public, as to 
 supplicate for all the saints as well as for 
 ourselves. 
 
 I begin with the first of these doctrines. 
 That a Christian's security lies very much 
 in praying always. Although he be 
 armed from head to foot with the armour 
 of God ; which, if any in the world, is 
 armour of proof, yet he is not safe without 
 prayer. Saints in Scripture have looked 
 upon the throne of grace as their asylum 
 and sanctuary, and have come here for 
 refuge and strength in their troubles and 
 temptations. David when he perceived 
 the deceit and hatred of his adversaries, 
 who fought against him witliout cause, 
 says, it was his course, and truly it was a 
 wise one, to give himself unto prayer, Ps. 
 cix. 4. When his soul was among lions, 
 and he dwelt among those that were set 
 on fire, he " then cries unto God that per- 
 
12 PRAY ALWAYS. 
 
 formed all tilings for him." Psalm Ivii. 2, 
 When the Apostle Paul was bufFetted by 
 the messenger of Satan, he " besought the 
 Lord thrice, that it might depart from 
 him," and had this answer, " My grace is 
 sufficient for thee." 2 Cor. xii. 7 — 9. 
 Nay, the very Captain of our salvation, , 
 Christ himself, not only used the word of 
 God in temptation, and overcame the 
 devil by Scripture weapons, but also he 
 was wonderfully fervent in prayer : " In 
 the days of his flesh he offered up prayers 
 and supplications, with strong crying and 
 tears, unto Him that was able to save him 
 from death, and was heard, in that he 
 feared." Heb. v. 7. 
 
 I shall speak unto this doctrine in the 
 following order. First, Give you a defi- 
 nition of prayer, that you may know what 
 it is. Secondly, Inform you what it is to 
 pray always. Thirdly, Show you why a 
 a Christian's security lies in prayer. 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 13 
 
 Fourthly, Give you some reasons why he 
 should be always praying. And, lasthf, 
 Make application. 
 
 In the first place, I am to give you a 
 definition of prayer, that you may under- 
 stand the nature of it. An old author 
 gives this description, ' Prayer is an as- 
 cension of the mind unto God, and asking 
 those things which are convenient, from 
 him. The mind must ascend as well as 
 the voice, and both must be directed unto 
 God alone; and those things only must 
 be desired which the wise and gracious 
 God sees convenient. Aquinus defines 
 prayer, ' an act of tlie practical under- 
 standing, explaining the desire of the will, 
 and requesting something from another,' 
 which being applied unto God, amounts 
 to this much, that both the mind and will 
 do act in prayer; the mind makes known 
 what the will desires, " Lord, all my 
 
14 PKAY ALWAYS. 
 
 desire is before thee, and my groaning is 
 not hid from thee/' Psalm xxxviii. 9. 
 And then likewise, there is an earnest 
 craving to have this desire satisfied. '• O 
 satisfy us early with thy mercy, that we 
 may rejoice and be glad all our days." 
 Psalm xc. 14. 
 
 But a more full definition of prayer is 
 this: Prayer is a duty performed unto 
 God by sensible and believing souls, in 
 which they ask for things according to his 
 will, in the name of Christ, with thanks- 
 giving for what has already been received. 
 This definition I shall take in pieces, and 
 explain the parts of it. 
 
 I. Prayer is a duty. — It is part of that 
 homage and worship which we owe to 
 God : this is evident by the light of nature ; 
 the heathen mariners " cried unto the 
 Lord " for preservation in a storm, Jonah i. ; 
 but it is more evident by Scripture light : 
 commands to pray are frequent. And he 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 15 
 
 that does restrain prayer, casts off the 
 fear of God, and says unto the Almighty, 
 Depart from me, Job xxi. 14, 15. Prayer 
 is a duty, for we are obliged to it by a 
 precept; and that precept is for our pro- 
 fit : we need help from heaven, and our 
 wants that are of greatest concernment to 
 be supplied, can be supplied by none but 
 by Him that is all-sufficient ; and v/hen 
 we cry to him, we give him glory ; for it 
 argues we believe his power and mercy, 
 which prove him able and ready to suc- 
 cour and relieve us. 
 
 II. Prayer is to be performed unto 
 God, and to him only. — " Thou shalt 
 worship the Lord thy God, and him only 
 shalt thou serve," Matt. iv. 10. " Unto 
 thee, my God and my King, will I pray. 
 I will direct my prayer unto thee, and 
 will look up." Psalm v. 2, 3. God's 
 hand is not shortened, that it cannot ^ave, 
 neither is his ear heavy, that it cannot 
 
16 PRAY ALWAYS. 
 
 hear. He is able to do, not only to the 
 utmost of our desires, but " exceeding 
 abundantly above all that we" can either 
 "ask or think," Eph. iii. 20. The Papists 
 dangerously corrupt holy worship by their 
 sinful prayers to angels and saints, and 
 especially to the virgin Mary. Cardinal 
 Bonaventure has blotted out the name of 
 Lo7'd in the book of the Psalms, and put 
 in the name of Ladi^, and teaches Chris- 
 tians to ask the same things, of the virgin 
 Mary, vvhich David asked for at the hands 
 of God himself. Under the Old Testa- 
 ment we find that believers directed their 
 supplications to God himself, and found 
 him ready to hear and save ; and under 
 the gospel, where the manifestation and 
 communication of his grace are more full 
 and plenteous, is there need to go to any 
 other ? No, no ; " one God can supply 
 our needs, according to his riches in glory 
 by Christ Jesus." Phil, iv, 19. 
 
PRAY ALV/AYS. 17 
 
 III. Those that pray, must be sensible. — 
 Ignorance, and unbelief, and hardness of 
 heart, make the words of prayer a mockery 
 and abomination. They that pray, there- 
 fore, must be sensible of their sins, of 
 their needs, of their unworthiness to have 
 those needs supplied; finally, they must 
 be sensible that none can help them but 
 the God they are praying to. 
 
 1. They must be sensible of their sins. — • 
 " I acknowledge my transgressions," says 
 David, " and my sin is ever before me/' 
 Psalm li. 3. " For our transgressions are 
 multiplied before thee, and our sins testify 
 against us ; for our transgressions are with 
 us, and as for our iniquities, we know 
 thein," Isa. lix. 12. Sin must be ac- 
 knowledged with shame and sorrow, else 
 it will separate between God and us, and 
 prove a cloud, through which our prayers 
 will never pass. There must be such a 
 yense of sin as implies a hatred and wea- 
 c 
 
18 PRAY ALWAYS. 
 
 riness of it ; for if the heart out of love 
 and liking of it, has a regard to sin, God's 
 ear will be deaf, and his mercies re- 
 strained. " if I regard iniquity in my 
 heart, the Lord will not hear my prayer," 
 Psalm Ixvi. 18. 
 
 2. They that pray must be sensible of 
 their needs.— All the posterity of Adam 
 are needy, how rich and full soever they 
 imagine themselves. The first man being 
 a public person, had the whole stock in 
 his own hand, and having lost it, has 
 beggared his whole progeny; we are 
 " all come short of the glory of God," as 
 descended from Adam; we are flesh, 
 and in " our flesh dwelleth no good 
 thing." This must be understood and 
 believed, poverty of spirit Christ com- 
 mends, and pronounces those that are 
 thus poor, " blessed," Mat. v. 3. For 
 they that perceive " they are wretched, 
 and miserable, and empty, and naked," 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 19 
 
 will cry the louder to the Lord " for gold 
 tried in the fire to enrich them, and white 
 raiment that they may be clothed." The 
 poor man that is ready to starve for 
 hunger, how does he cry out ^ Bread, for 
 the Lord's sake, bread,' for he sees his 
 need of it. The condemned malefactor, 
 how does he roar out for a pardon ? Be- 
 cause he sees his life must quickly go, 
 without it. And were we but better ac 
 quainted with our wants, oh what strong 
 cries would come from us, that sin might 
 be forgiven, that grace might be wrought, 
 that peace might be spoken, that spiritual 
 maladies might be healed ! We all need 
 these things as much and more than the 
 hungry stand in need of bread. 
 
 3. They that pray must be sensible of 
 their unworthiness to have their need 
 supplied. — Paul cries out, he was " less 
 than the least of all saints ;" and Jacob, 
 that he was " less than the least of mer- 
 
 C 2 
 
20 PRAY ALWAYS. 
 
 cies." Job says, " Behold I am vile, and 
 I abhor myself." We cannot lay claim 
 to any thing as our due, but wrath and 
 the curse. Whatever God bestows, it 
 must be reckoned given, " not of debt, 
 but of pure and free grace," Rom. iv. 
 Daniel in prayer disclaims all merit in 
 his righteousness, acknowledges that " con- 
 fusion of face belonged to him and to 
 Israel, because of their rebellions;" and 
 says expressly, " We do not present our 
 supplications before thee for our righteous- 
 nesses, but for thy great mercies," Dan.ix. 
 18. We may beg indeed for the greatest 
 mercies — and the greater, the surer we 
 are to speed ; for God is most liberal of 
 the greatest ; but at the same time we 
 must be sensible that the least mercy is 
 too good for such evil ones as we are. 
 
 4. They that pray must be sensible that 
 none can help them but the God they are 
 praying to. — " Truly in vain is salvation 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 21 
 
 hoped for from the hiils and multitude of 
 mountains/' — (the firmest things on earth 
 will fail and deceive our hopes,) — " truly 
 in the Lord our God is the salvation of 
 Israel/' Jer. iii. 23. Therefore David lays 
 this charge upon his soul, " to wait only 
 upon God, and to have all its expectation 
 from him. God will be seriously sought 
 unto, when we are under the power of 
 this conviction, that " no other helper can 
 be found." 
 
 IV. It follows in the definition, that those 
 that pray must be believing souls. — Faith 
 is a grace that is required in all their du- 
 ties ; if this be wanting, God will not be 
 honoured by our duties, nor ourselves 
 advantaged. Though we hear never so 
 often, if the word be not mixed with 
 faith, it will not profit us, Heb. iv. 2. ; 
 and unless our prayers are prayers in faith, 
 they will not be effectual. Those that 
 pray indeed, must be believers. 
 
22 
 
 PRAY ALWAYS. 
 
 1 . They must believe " that God is, and 
 that he is a rewarder of them that dili- 
 gently seek him/' Heb. xi. 6. ; they must 
 have right apprehensions of his gracious 
 nature, and of his goodwill towards men. 
 He is willing to be reconciled, and has 
 himself, without being sought unto, con- 
 trived a way how a sinner's peace may be 
 made. He sends ambassadors to them to 
 treat about it, and entreat those that have 
 offended him, that they would be no 
 longer enemies by wicked works. He 
 has declared, that " fury is not in him " 
 towards those that are desirous of mercy, 
 and that he does delight in nothing more 
 than in compassion ; and that if any do 
 imderstand and seek him, he is more 
 willing to be found, than they can be 
 eager to find him. These things being 
 rightly conceived, encourage prayer ; and 
 Satan by suggesting the contrary, draws 
 off many from this duty. 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 23 
 
 2. They that pray aright must, by be- 
 lieving, be interested in Christ the Me- 
 diator. Christ is " the way, and no man 
 Cometh unto the Father but by him," 
 John xiv. 6. Christ must be by faith re- 
 ceived as the gospel offers him ; that is, 
 as a " Prince and a Saviour ; " and by this 
 faith, being united to hira, God looks upon 
 believers as the brethren of Christ, as the 
 spouse of Christ, nay, which is nearer, as 
 Christ's members ; and will deny them 
 nothing. Those that belong to Christy 
 God is a God to them, and a Father to 
 them as he is to Christ himself, and loves 
 them as he loved Christ; John xx. 17. 
 xvii. 23. ; surely he will then grant them 
 their requests. 
 
 3. Tliey that pray must by faith rely 
 upon the promises that God has made of 
 hearing. — He has said, " that they that 
 ask shall receive, that they which seek 
 shall find, and to them that knock it shall 
 
24 PRAY ALWAYS. 
 
 be opened/' Matt. vii. 7. And for fur- 
 ther encouragement, because the Spirit 
 teaches what to ask, and how to ask, 
 Christ assures us, that God will more 
 readily give his Spirit to those that ask 
 him, than earthly parents bread unto their 
 hungry children, " If ye then being 
 evil, know how to give good gifts to your 
 children, how much more shall your 
 heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit unto 
 them that ask him?" Luke xi. 13. How- 
 comprehensive a promise is the promise 
 of the Spirit? His work is to apply that 
 salvation which Christ has purchased : 
 and is sent on purpose that he may endite 
 such petitions for the saints as will find 
 audience. How plainly has the Lord 
 said, that " his eye is upon the righteous, 
 and his ear open to their prayers ? " 
 Psalm xxxiv. 15. Such words should be 
 rested on when we engage in this duty. 
 4, The more confidently they that pray 
 
PR,".Y ALWAYS. 25 
 
 conclude the performance of God's pro- 
 mises, the more certainly will they be 
 accomplished.' — Therefore we are com- 
 manded to ask " in faith, nothing waver- 
 ing,'' James i. 6.; and we are encouraged 
 to draw near with a true heart, in full 
 assurance of faith, Ileb. x. 22. ; and 
 hearken to our Lord himself, " therefore 
 I say unto you, whatever things ye desire 
 when ye pray, believe that ye receive 
 them, and ye shall have them,'^ Mark 
 xi. 24. If we did but more firmly believe 
 that God, according to his covenant, for 
 his Son's sake, has pardoned sin ; and 
 will heal our souls of their distempers, 
 and will give grace sufficient, and make 
 us to grow and increase with the increases 
 of God ; verilyhis promises would appear 
 to be real, and " according to our faith 
 it would be to us.'' Thus you see how 
 those that pray must be believers. 
 
 V. In prayer, things must be asked for, 
 
26 PRAY ALWAYS. 
 
 according to the will of God.—" And 
 this is the confidence that we have in liim, 
 that if we ask any thing according to his 
 will, he heareth us," 1 John v. 14. Christ 
 tells his disciples, " if ye abide in me, 
 and my words abide in you, ye shall ask 
 what ye will, and it shall be done to you," 
 John XV. 7. The word abiding in us dcr 
 Clares the will of God, and regulates our 
 wills ; and then v/hat we will, we shall 
 have ; Luther said, ' Let my will be 
 done, because my will, O Lord, is the 
 same with thine.' 
 
 I do not wonder that many of the 
 heathens reasoned against prayer ; they, 
 being unacquainted with the mind of 
 God, knew not what to ask for. But in 
 the scripture God has declared his mind 
 to us, and that is our directory. 
 
 Tliere is a threefold will of God, which 
 we are to regard in prayer — his will of 
 purpose, of precept, and of promise. 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 27 
 
 1 . His will of purpose. — God's purpose 
 concerning his people, is wise and gra- 
 cious, therefore it is called " the good 
 pleasure of his goodness," by the apostle, 
 2 Thess. i. 11.; and it was but reason 
 that this purpose should be submitted to. 
 We may ask sometimes for that which it 
 may not be fit for us to receive. In tem- 
 porals especially we are at a loss; and 
 are not able to determine what measure 
 of such kind of mercies is most meet for 
 us. When therefore we beg for the con- 
 tinuance of life, the prolonging or restor- 
 ing of health, the enjoyment of outward 
 comforts ; all must be done with this pro- 
 viso, that the will and purpose of God 
 may stand and be accomplished ; for we 
 may conclude, that when the Lord de- 
 nies outward mercies, which we with 
 submission beg for, he intends kindness in 
 that very denial. 
 
 2. In prayer God's will of precept is to 
 
28 PRAY ALWAYS. 
 
 be regarded .—Whatever he commands us 
 to do, we may with boldness go to him 
 for strength, which may enable us for the 
 performance. The Lord calls and com- 
 mands Israel to turn. " Turn ye, turn ye 
 from your evil ways, for why will ye die, 
 O house of Israel 1 " Ephraim turns this 
 into prayer, " turn thou me, and I shall 
 be turned, for thou art the Lord my God," 
 Jer. xxxi 18. God commanded David 
 to keep his precepts diligently. David 
 takes hold of this, and cries out, '* Oh that 
 my ways were directed, that I might keep 
 thy statutes ! " Psalm cxix. 4, 5. He re- 
 quires that we should love and fear him ; 
 we may without presumption beg that he 
 would " circumcise our hearts to love 
 him, and put his fear into our hearts, that 
 we may not depart from him." 
 
 3. In prayer God's will of promise is 
 also to be eyed. — And though the pro- 
 mises of the life that now is, belong to be- 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 29 
 
 lievers,yet especially they prize and plead 
 the promises of spiritual and everlasting 
 blessings. These we are to look upon 
 " as exceeding great and precious/' and 
 sure promises ; and to beg, that by them 
 " we may be made partakers of the divine 
 nature, and escape the corruption that is 
 in the world through lust," 2 Pet. i. 4. 
 What can the Lord promise more than he 
 does ? " The Lord God is a sun and shield, 
 the Lord will give grace and glory ; no 
 good thing will he withhold from them 
 that walk uprightly," Psalm Ixxxiv. 11. 
 When we entreat him to make good his 
 promises, we do in effect but entreat him 
 to glorify his power and love, his truth 
 and faithfulness. 
 
 VI. Prayer must be in the name of 
 Christ.— What name more prevalent? 
 " Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatso- 
 ever ye shall ask the Father in my name, 
 
30 PRAY ALWAYS. 
 
 he will give it you." When we make use 
 of tlie mediation of Christ, we go the way 
 to speed. The Papists make use of the 
 mediation of angels and departed saints. 
 But the apostle tells us, as of " one God," 
 so of one " mediator between God and 
 man, the man Christ Jei^us." Saints in- 
 deed on earth may pray one for another? 
 because God has commanded it ; it main- 
 tains love among them, and the strongest 
 need the prayers of the weaker. How 
 earnestly does the apostle Paul beseech 
 the believing Romans that they would 
 strive together with him in their prayers 
 to God for him, Rom. xv. 30. But not 
 a word of prayer directed to any saint in 
 scripture. And when Jacob was in dis- 
 tress, and the angels of God met him, he 
 said, " this is God's host ; " but he begged 
 nothing of them, but v/restles with God 
 himself, and, as a prince, prevailed. 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 31 
 
 We must pray in the name of Christ ; 
 and there are four things which we are to 
 have an eye to — 
 
 1 . The satisfaction of Christ. — He has 
 been " woi.uded for transgression," he 
 " bare the curse ; " so that we may beg 
 with confidence to bs delivered from it. 
 He has made peace by dd bleed of his 
 cross ; we have encouragement ,:- beseech 
 the Lord to be reconciled, and ihat he 
 would no longer be a foe, lui: a father 
 to us. 
 
 2. We are to eye the purchase of Christ. 
 — He has purchased all the blessings of 
 the new covenant. Heaven itself is called 
 " a purchased possession," Eph. 1. 14. 
 Christ paid a price for it, that it might 
 be ours. It is not only an act of grace, 
 but an act of righteousness in God, con- 
 sidering what Christ has paid for, to 
 forgive sin, and to give salvation. 
 
 3. We are to eye the intercession of 
 
32 PRAY ALWAYS. 
 
 Christ. — " He is able to save them to the 
 uttermost, that come unto God by him, 
 seeing he ever lives to make intercession 
 for them/' Heb. vii. 25. Our great High 
 Priest is passed into the heavens, and his 
 work is there, to pray for believers, and 
 his Father hears him always. How can 
 prayers miscarry that are backed with the 
 intercession of such an one ? 
 
 4. We are to eye the strength of Christ, 
 and his assistance. — Rightly to pray is a 
 matter of difficulty ; Christ by his Spirit is 
 ready to help the infirmities of believers ; 
 so that notwithstanding all discourage- 
 ment and opposition from within and 
 from beneath, they shall make something 
 of this duty of prayer, and obtain the 
 blessing. 
 
 VII. In prayer there must be thanks- 
 giving for what has been already received. 
 Praise is the sublimest part of prayer. 
 Praise is a debt; and how vast is the 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 33 
 
 debt, if we consider the multitude, great- 
 ness, freeness, and continuance of mercies? 
 Praise sweetens prayer; nothing more 
 pleasing to God, nothing more pleasant 
 to ourselves. And to give thanks for 
 benefits received, is as effectual a way to 
 prevail for more mercy, as the most vehe- 
 ment and strongest cries. O, therefore, 
 that all who pray, would also " praise the 
 Lord for his goodness, and for his won- 
 derful works to the children of men ! " 
 Psalm cvii. 8. Tlius have I explained 
 the definition, and opened the nature of 
 prayer to you. 
 
 In the second place I am to inform you 
 what it is to prai/ always. This I have 
 touched upon already, but shall more fully 
 speak of in these particulars. 
 
 1 . To pray always implies, being always 
 in a disposition and frame to pray when 
 God requires it. — The heart must be re- 
 
 D 
 
34 PRAY ALWAYS. 
 
 conciled to this duty, and fall in love with 
 it, and go to the throne of grace with 
 alacrity. Much may be got at the mercy- 
 seat ; the unsearchable riches of Christ 
 are unlocked, and we may take as much 
 as the hand of faith can grasp, without 
 being checked or upbraided. The God 
 whom we have to do with, " gives libe- 
 rally and like himself," James i. 5. The 
 heart should be forward to pray, and be 
 weary of, and through grace subdue more 
 and more that evil which, alas, is *' pre- 
 sent when good is about to be performed," 
 Rom. vii. 21. 
 
 2. To pray always implies, laying hold 
 of all opportunities to pray, that are gra- 
 ciously vouchsafed to us. — Whenever there 
 is a meet season and a motion to pray, 
 we should catch such an occasion by the 
 forelock, for when once it is past, it is 
 past recalling. Stated times of prayer 
 ordinarily, should in no wise be neglect- 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 35 
 
 ed; and when there are extraordinary 
 calls to this duty, they should by all 
 means be heeded. 
 
 3. To pray always implies, praying in 
 every state and condition. — In sickness, 
 in health, in prosperity, in adversity, 
 prayer is to be used; without prayer, 
 sickness will be unsanctified, and an un- 
 comfortable load ; and if it be taken off, 
 it will be in anger ; without prayer, health 
 will be a judgment, and only serve to 
 encourage a neglect of the soul and ano- 
 ther world ; without prayer adversity will 
 be intolerable, and prosperity will be a 
 snare, and occasion forgetfulness of God, 
 and a daring to rebel against him. No 
 condition should cause a cessation of 
 prayer, for the apostle says, " pray with- 
 out ceasing," 1 Thess. v. 17. 
 
 4. To pray always implies, not to let 
 fall any suit till it be granted. — We must 
 not faint in prayer, nor give over, though 
 
 D 2 
 
36 ■ PRAY ALWAYS. 
 
 we do not presently speed. Luke xviii. 1 » 
 •" He spake a parable to them to this end, 
 that men ought always to pray, and not to 
 faint." Importunity prevailed with an 
 unrighteous judge, surely then it will be 
 prevalent with the Father of mercies. 
 God does not presently grant sometimes, 
 to try whether we duly esteem mercies ; 
 and if we do, we shall think them worth 
 our while to pray still for them, and wait 
 till they are given. 
 
 5. To pray always implies, not to give 
 over praying while we are on earth. — 
 This ordinance we must never be above ; 
 for we always need to engage in it. Our 
 life is a continued warfare, we have need 
 to pray for defence and victory; our 
 knowledge and grace is imperfect, we 
 have need to pray for the increase of both, 
 and that we may be helped to press to- 
 ward the mark for the prize of the high- 
 calling of God. 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 37 
 
 In the third place, I am to tell you, 
 why a Christian's security lies in prayer. 
 
 1 . Prayer engages God on a Christian's 
 side. — He promises to hear the cry of the 
 righteous ones ; and hearing their cry im- 
 plies the engaging of his power and good- 
 ness for their supply and safety. In 
 prayer there is an acting of holy desires, 
 unto which satisfaction is assured ; and 
 there is an acting of trust and faith, and 
 God will show himself strong in behalf 
 of them that fly unto his name, as to a 
 tower of defence, and rely upon his ever- 
 lasting arm. He that believes, and has 
 his expectation from the Lord, shall not 
 be ashamed. The apostle hesitates not 
 to say, *' whosoever calleth on the name 
 of the Lord, shall be saved," Rom. x. 13 ; 
 that is, whosoever calls with faith and 
 fervency. Such calling engages God for 
 ■us, and " if He be for us, who can be 
 against us?" Rom. viii. 31. Our ini- 
 
38 PllAY ALWAYS. 
 
 quities, though never so strong, he can 
 easily subdue ; the world, and the god of 
 the world, are weak compared with the 
 Almighty. He can deliver from the evil 
 world, from the evil one, from every evil 
 work, and preserve us to his heavenly 
 kingdom. 
 
 2. Prayer weakens the flesh, with the 
 aiFections and lusts of it. — Our great dan- 
 ger is from these home-bred enemies ; 
 " our lusts do war against our souls," 1 
 Pet. ii. 11 ; and the apostle threatens be- 
 lievers, " if ye live after the flesh, ye shall 
 die," Rom. viii. 13. What course does 
 David take to obtain the victory over his 
 corruptions? he prays against them. — 
 " Cleanse me from secret faults ; keep 
 back thy servant from presumptuous sins. 
 Let no iniquity have dominion over me ! 
 Create in me a clean heart, and uphold 
 me with thy free Spirit!" These and 
 such like were his cries, and he did not 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 39 
 
 cry in vain. The believer, in prayer, 
 pleads that it is for God's honour to kill 
 corruption, that it is his declared will, 
 even man's sanctification ; that it is his 
 work to sanctify ; that he has promised 
 to sanctify throughout, in body, soul, 
 and spirit; and he is faithful, and there- 
 fore will do it. 1 Thess, v. 23, 24. He 
 pleads, that Christ died that he might 
 redeem and purify from iniquity ; that he 
 might cleanse his church, and " present it 
 unto himself a glorious church, not having 
 spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but 
 that it might be holy, and without ble- 
 mish," Eph. V. 27. And such pleas are 
 effectual to the obtaining of grace, and 
 mortifying the deeds of the body. 
 
 3. A Christian's security lies in prayer, 
 for prayer obtains better things than the 
 world can boast of. Let the world allure 
 by its strongest baits, and present unto 
 the Christian the greatest gains, the sweet- 
 
40 PRAV ALWAYS. 
 
 est pleasures, yet blessings more valuable 
 are to be got at the throne of grace. The 
 heart in prayer is taken up with the 
 thoughts of, and eager desires after, the 
 privilege of reconciliation and adoption, 
 communion with God, and the commu- 
 nications of his grace and Spirit, an eter- 
 nal weight of glory, a crown of life, an 
 enduring substance, fulness of joy, and 
 pleasures for evermore. Psalm xvi. These 
 are the things above, that in prayer are 
 sought ; and what are things below in 
 comparison ? The heart that is placed on 
 these, is the better armed against the 
 world : as long as spiritual and eternal 
 blessings are secured, the world is neither 
 desired, nor dreaded by it. 
 
 4. Prayer is an undermining of Satan. 
 The powers of hell have felt the force of 
 this duty. Christ commanded his disci- 
 ples to pray, when he perceived the devil 
 about to winnow them : " Pray that ye 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 41 
 
 enter not into temptation.'^ Lukexxii. 40. 
 If as oft as we are assaulted by the temp- 
 ter, we did but look unto the Lord for 
 grace to help in the time of need, temp- 
 tation would be very unsuccessful. Two 
 things are done in prayer against Satan ; 
 by our confession of sins, this accuser is 
 silenced; by petition, grace is obtained to 
 withstand him. 
 
 By confession of sin this accuser is 
 silenced. Satan is styled, "the accuser 
 of the brethren ;" and to show how mali- 
 cious and eager he is in his accusations, 
 he is said to " accuse them day and night 
 before God." Rev. xii. 10. But in prayer, 
 believers bring bills of indictment against 
 themselves ; not only all that Satan can 
 truly lay to their charge, do they also lay 
 to their own charge ; but also all that 
 God has against them, they acknowledge ; 
 they cover not their sins, but confess and 
 aggravate them ; they blame and judge 
 
42 PRAY ALWAYS. 
 
 themselves. And how earnest are they 
 that sin confessed may be pardoned, and 
 purged away by the blood of Christ ? 
 Now Satan's mouth is stopped ; his charge 
 signifies nothing ; for thus confessing sin, 
 and looking unto Jesus for cleansing as 
 well as atonement, " God is faithful and 
 just to forgive them their sins, and to 
 cleanse them from all unrighteousness," 
 1 John i. 9. 
 
 By petition, grace is obtained to with- 
 stand Satan. The apostle Paul, when 
 buffetted by the devil, falls to prayer, and 
 what answer has he ? The Lord said 
 unto him, " My grace is sufficient for 
 thee, for my strength is made perfect in 
 weakness." And the apostle is satisfied 
 that the power of Christ rested on him. 
 Prayer brings us to the God of Peace, 
 who promises to tread Satan under our 
 feet shortly, Rom. xvi- 20. By prayer 
 wisdom is derived from God : and the 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 43 
 
 more wise the Father of lights makes us, 
 the better we understand the devil's wiles, 
 and his design is seen through, which is 
 to deceive, to defile, and at last to murder 
 souls. And as wisdom is increased, so 
 faith, and love, and fear, and other graces, 
 by prayer ; and the more we believe God, 
 the less credit we shall give the evil one ; 
 the more we love God, the more we shall 
 hate that evil which we are tempted to ; 
 the more we fear the Lord, the more will 
 our hearts be united to him ; and it will 
 be a matter of great difficulty to persuade 
 us unto departing from him. 
 
 5. A Christian's security lies in prayer, 
 for a prayer is a great means to make 
 every other ordinance effectual for our 
 safety and spiritual advantage. The word 
 of God and prayer are coupled together : 
 " But we will give ourselves continually 
 to prayer, and to the ministry of the 
 word," Acts vi. 4. Our sermons which 
 
44 PRAY ALWAYS, 
 
 we preacli unto you, should be begged 
 from heaven ; they should be begun, 
 ended, followed after with prayer ; and if 
 you that are hearers would but help us 
 herein by prayer, it would be in effect to 
 help yourselves. If there were but more 
 praying before you come to the sanctuary, 
 that you might be taught to profit, so 
 many sermons would not be lost; so 
 much seed would not be sown in vain. 
 Prayer sets an edge upon the word, and 
 makes it quick and powerful to kill sin, 
 and keep off Satan. Prayer works the 
 word into the heart, and being hid there, 
 is is a mighty preservative against iniquity. 
 There is a spiritual instinct in believers to 
 join prayer with every ordinance of God ; 
 because they know that ordinances can- 
 not secure or benefit them, except the 
 Lord concur and work along with them. 
 I have proved that a Christian's security 
 lies in prayer. 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 45 
 
 In the fourth place, I am to give you 
 some reasons why we ought to pray al- 
 ways. 
 
 1. We should pray always, because 
 God is always ready to hear. " Tlie 
 Lord's ear is not heavy, that it cannot 
 hear." Isa. lix. 1. He hearkens after 
 prayer, and " looks down from heaven 
 upon the children of men, to see if there 
 be any that understand and seek God." 
 Psalm xiv. 2. The Father is said to seek 
 for right worshippers, namely, those that 
 worship him in spirit and in truth, John 
 iv. 23. we have therefore encouragement, 
 at all times to trust in him, and at all 
 times to pour out our souls before him. 
 " God is a refuge for us, Selah." Psalm 
 Ixii. 8. Verily, seeking of God in since- 
 rity, never was yet in vain, and never will 
 be. God has heard sinners then, when 
 they perhaps have little thought he mind- 
 ed them. Wlien Ephraim liemoaued 
 
46 PRAY ALWAYS. 
 
 himself, was as a bullock unaccustomed 
 to the yoke, was ashamed, and confound- 
 ed because of his evil ways, and cried, 
 " Turn thou me, and I shall be turned ;'' 
 says God, " I have heard him, I have 
 surely heard Ephraim," Jer. xxxi. 18, 19 ; 
 and gives him to understand, that " he 
 was a dear son, a pleasant child, and that 
 he would surely have mercy on him." 
 There is not a tear but God has a bottle 
 to put it in, nor a sigh but God observes 
 it, nor a true desire, but he is ready to 
 satisfy. 
 
 2. We should pray always, because 
 Christ always intercedes ; " He is able to 
 save them to the uttermost that come unto 
 God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make 
 intercession for them." Heb. vii. 25. The 
 prayers of believers will be well seconded. 
 This Angel of the covenant has incense 
 sufficient to perfume, and to make the 
 prayers of all the saints at all times ac- 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 47 
 
 ceptable. Christ in heaven is always 
 presenting to his Father his sufferings, 
 and by his sufferings all that we pray for 
 has been purchased. His blood therefore 
 is said to speak in Scripture, and it 
 " speaks better things than that of Abel." 
 Heb. xii. 24. The blood of Christ cries 
 in God's ears, on the behalf of those that 
 pray, that " the curse that Christ hath 
 borne may be 'removed from them; that 
 the sins for which Christ was wounded, 
 may be forgiven them ; and that out of 
 the fulness of Christ they may receive, and 
 grace for grace." 
 
 3. We should pray always, because 
 the Spirit is always ready to help our in- 
 firmities. This Spirit Christ promised, 
 and, according to his promise, sent him ; 
 and this Spirit is styled the " Spirit of 
 grace and supplications," Zech. xii. 10. ; 
 for he gives grace and ability to make 
 supplications acceptable. And this Spirit 
 
48 PRAY ALWAYS. 
 
 abides with believers always. " I will 
 pray the Father, and he shall give you 
 another Comforter, which shall abide with 
 you for ever, even the Spirit of Truth, 
 whom the world cannot receive, because 
 it seeth him not, neither knoweth him; 
 but ye know him, for he dwelleth with 
 you, and shall be in you." John xiv. 16, 
 17. The Spirit is ready to instruct us 
 what to pray for, to remove the load of 
 indisposition to this duty, to quicken our 
 deadness therein, to enlarge our hearts in 
 desires after the God of all grace, to 
 strengthen us to wrestle for a blessing. 
 And truly God is not to be prevailed 
 with, but by the meditation of his Son, 
 and by the strength of his own Spirit. 
 
 4. We should pray always, because 
 Satan is always forward to assault us. 
 Satan is compared to a lion in Scripture. 
 And i^lian observes concerning the lion, 
 that if at any time he is beaten back, he 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 49 
 
 retires with his face towards you, as being 
 ready upon the least encouragement, to 
 make another attempt. In like manner 
 Satan watches, has his eye always upon 
 us, and is ever forward to tempt ; and 
 should not we be ever forward to pray ? 
 Our whole life is a time of temptation ; 
 wicked spirits are continually engaged 
 against us. " We wrestle," says the 
 apostle, " with principalities and powers, 
 with the rulers of the darkness of this 
 world, with spiritual wickedness in high 
 places." These enemies are invisible, so 
 it is more difficult to withstand them ; 
 they are too subtle, and too strong for us ; 
 we had need therefore to pray without 
 ceasing, since they cease not endeavour- 
 ing to bring us both to sin and ruin. 
 
 5. We should pray always, because 
 corruption will quickly recruit, and re- 
 cover strength upon the least neglect of 
 prayer. Had David been praying when 
 £ 
 
50 PRAY ALWAYS, 
 
 he was sleeping so long in the day time ; 
 or after his sleep had been ended, had he 
 gone to the throne of grace, instead of 
 idly walking upon the roof of his palace ; 
 nay, when first he cast his eyes on Bath- 
 sheba, if he had presently looked up to 
 heaven and cried, that that spark of con- 
 cupiscence might have been extinguished 
 before it set him in a flame ; his foul fall, 
 and the doleful consequences of it, might 
 have been prevented. But duty was 
 neglected, and lust took the advantage of 
 that neglect, and he was hurried into two 
 as heinous sins almost as can possibly be 
 committed : 2 Sam. xi. Experience 
 shows us, that if we omit, or are slight in 
 prayer, that day our passions are most 
 easily stirred, and our lusts get ground. 
 Thus Amalek prevailed when Moses' 
 hands began to hang down; but when 
 they were held up towards heaven, Israel 
 had the better. 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 51 
 
 I come, in the last place, to the appli- 
 cation. And if the christian's security lies 
 so much in praying always, 
 
 The first use is of instruction, concerning 
 the extreme danger that prayerless souls 
 are in. It will be faithfulness and kind- 
 ness to make such sensible of their dan- 
 ger ; therefore I shall a little stay upon it, 
 and manifest their peril in these parti- 
 culars. 
 
 1 . Those that are strangers to prayer^ 
 God is against them. O dreadful! What 
 is God ? And who are they ? Who can 
 stand before his indignation? Who can 
 defend himself against that arm that is 
 omnipotent ? The mountains quake, the 
 hills melt, the devils tremble before this 
 God ; the whole world compared with him, 
 " is but as the drop of the bucket, and 
 the small dust on the balance, and all the 
 inhabitants of tlie world are nothing, less 
 than nothing, and vanily." Isa. xl. 15. 17. 
 E 2 
 
52 PRAY ALWAYS. 
 
 Surely it is fearful to have so glorious and 
 great a God an enemy. But an enemy 
 he is unto all that count not his love and 
 favour worth the praying for. Those that 
 will not entreat him to be reconciled, it is 
 a sign they neither value his love nor 
 fear his wratli ; and under wrath they are 
 unquestionably. 
 
 2. Those that are strangers to prayer, 
 their mercies are not mercies indeed to 
 them ; that threatening is fulfilled upon 
 them, " I will send a curse upon you, 
 and will curse your blessings," Mai. ii. 2. 
 Prayer will turn curses into blessings. 
 Afflictions are part of the curse inflicted 
 because of sin, but prayer alters the nature 
 of them ; for the sanctification of them 
 being begged and granted, they work to- 
 gether for the good of them that feel them. 
 Affliction yields " the peaceable fruits of 
 righteousness to them that are exercised 
 thereby," says the Apostle. On the other 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 53 
 
 side, where prayer is not, blessings are 
 a snare, and the good things which are 
 received, work together for the harm 
 and ruin of those that do enjoy them. 
 There is a spirit of slumber that has seized 
 on them in the midst of their enjoyments, 
 and their table, their plenty, their abund- 
 ance becomes " a snare, and a trap, and a 
 stumbling block, and a recompence to 
 them," Romans xi. 8, 9. 
 
 3. Those that are strangers to prayer, 
 Satan is endeavouring their ruin, and there 
 is none to hinder him. Satan is said in 
 Scripture to fill tlie hearts of the ungodly, 
 to keep possession of them, and to work in 
 the children of disobedience. Tlie devil 
 is come down with great wrath ; and like 
 a roaring lion, he walketh about, seeking 
 whom he may devour. And truly he 
 finds abundant prey, for most watch not 
 at all, pray not at all against him. Those 
 that pray not, are led captive by Satan at 
 
54 PRAY ALWAYS. 
 
 his pleasure, and they do not care or de- 
 sire to have his snare broken, nor them- 
 selves recovered. 
 
 4. Those that are strangers to prayer, 
 how certain is it, that, continuing as they 
 are, they will miss of those great things 
 revealed in the gospel, since they count 
 them not worth their seeking ! The gospel 
 informs us of the one thing needful, of the 
 pearl of great price, of the kingdom of 
 God and his righteousness; and this is 
 the law that is established, that they who 
 would have these things must seek them. 
 They that seek them not, understand not 
 their worth, nor their own need, and 
 therefore certainly and justly go without 
 them. 
 
 5. Those that are strangers to prayer, 
 are in danger of meeting with a deaf ear, 
 when cries are extorted by calamity. O 
 read and tremble, Prov, i. 26 — 28. " I 
 will laugh at your calamity, I will mock 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 55 
 
 when your fear cometli, when your fear 
 Cometh as desolation, and your destruc- 
 tion as a whirlwind ; when distress and 
 anguish cometh upon you, then shall they 
 call upon me, but I will not answer ; they 
 shall seek me early, but they shall not 
 find me." The meaning is this, that when 
 cries are extorted merely by distress, and 
 only the removal of calamity is desired, 
 there being no true humiliation for sin, 
 nor desire to be reformed, all such cries 
 will be neglected. If you will not seek 
 the Lord while he may be found, nor call 
 upon him while he is near, when you cry 
 in extremity, he may be far off from you. 
 6. Those that are strangers to prayer, 
 should consider, that quickly the accepted 
 time, which they improve not, will be past, 
 and then they shall beg, but must certainly 
 be denied. We read in Scripture of calls 
 that no heed was given to. When the 
 
56 PRAY ALWAYS. 
 
 foolish virgins came after the door was 
 shut, and said, " Lord, Lord, open unto 
 us ; " alas, they spake too late, the door 
 was not opened ; but the reply is, " I 
 know you not whence you are." When 
 the rich man begged for a drop of water 
 to cool his tongue, being tormented in the 
 flame, this was not granted ; to intimate 
 that not the least mitigation of torment in 
 hell is to be looked for. All at last will 
 be ready to pray, Lord, open the door that 
 lets into thy kingdom and glory ! Lord? 
 vouchsafe a little ease and respite in the 
 midst of our excessive agonies and sor- 
 rows ! But oh, God's ear will be shut 
 then eternally as well as heaven's gate, 
 and his mercy clean gone for ever ! What 
 madness is it then to waste all our ac- 
 cepted time, and not to come to the throne 
 of grace, before the day of grace comes to 
 an end ! 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 57 
 
 The second use shall be of caution. 
 Two things you are to be cautioned 
 about : 
 
 1 . Take heed of resting in prayer itself' 
 in the bare duty done. Prayer is your 
 security, not in itself considered, but 
 because it " leads you to the rock that is 
 higher than you," Psalm Ixi. 2. Prayer 
 puts you under the Lord's wing, and you 
 are covered with his feathers, and his 
 truth becomes your shield and buckler. 
 They that trust in the mere form, vainly 
 imagining, that speaking the words of 
 prayer will help them ; they use prayer 
 like a charm, and are unacquainted with 
 the right manner of praying. 
 
 2. Take heed of thinking that any kind 
 of prayer will secure you, and engage God 
 for you. Unbelieving prayers, where 
 Christ is not relied on for audience ; cold 
 and careless prayers, where the things 
 prayed for are not' prized; hypocritical 
 
58 PRAY ALWAYS. 
 
 prayers, where the heart is not indeed en- 
 gaged, will not reach God's ear, will not 
 fetch the blessing. Sin's bow will abide 
 in strength, notwithstanding these prayers ; 
 nor will the strong holds of Satan be thrown 
 down by them. 
 
 The third use shall be of exhortation 
 unto this duty of prayer. The arguments 
 to persuade you are these following : 
 
 1. Scripture commands are very fre- 
 quent, which require this duty. How 
 often is prayer called for; and not only 
 the Lord's authority in these commands is 
 to be regarded, but also his goodness ; he 
 does not require prayer, that he may re- 
 ceive from us, for he is so much above us 
 that he needs us not, nor our performances; 
 and so infinitely perfect, that there can be 
 no addition to the perfection of his being, 
 or his blessedness; but therefore the Lord 
 calls us to " pray always," Luke xxi. 36. 
 " to pray every where," 1 Tim. ii. 8. <'to 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 59 
 
 continue instant in prayer," Rom. xii. 12. 
 " in every tiling, by prayer and supplica- 
 tion, to make our requests known unto 
 God/' Phil. iv. 6.; because he is willing 
 to give what we need, and to communicate 
 that mercy, without which we must needs 
 be miserable. 
 
 2. The efficacy of prayer should per- 
 suade to prayer.— He that bids you seek 
 his face, if your hearts echo back, " Thy 
 face, Lord, will we seek," will in nowise 
 hide his face from you, nor put you away 
 in anger," Psalm xxvii. 8, 9. By prayer 
 you may prevail with God for his love ; 
 and being interested in that, nothing will be 
 denied. That the efficacy of prayer may 
 be evident, I shall imitate the apostle, 
 speaking concerning faith, (Heb.xi) and 
 reckon up the wonders that have been the 
 effects of prayer. 
 
 By prayer Abraham had saved Sodom, 
 though the cry of their sins was so loud 
 
60 PRAY ALWAYS. 
 
 and great, if there had been ten righteous 
 persons in it. By prayer he obtained a 
 son from God, when his wife Sarah, was 
 past child-bearing. 
 
 By prayer Jacob was delivered from the 
 wrath of his brother Esau; Jonah, by 
 prayer, out of the whale's belly ; and the 
 three children out of the seven times heated 
 Babylonish furnace. 
 
 By prayer, David stayed the plague, so 
 that it seized not on Jerusalem, and caused 
 the sword of the destroying angel to be 
 put up into the sheath again. 
 
 By prayer Elias stayed the rain for 
 three years and six months ; and by the 
 same means opened the clouds of heaven, 
 that the earth brought forth her fruit. By 
 prayer he brought down fire, which con- 
 sumed the two captains and their fifties 
 that came to take him. 
 
 By prayer, Joshua commanded the sun, 
 and it stood still in Gibeon, and the moon 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 61 
 
 in the Valley of Aijalon ; for the Lord 
 hearkened to the voice of a man, and fought 
 for Israel, 
 
 By prayer, Daniel stopped the mouths 
 of lions, and came untouched out of the 
 den ; and by prayer, Peter and Paul and 
 Silas were delivered out of prison ; shackles 
 and iron gates being but weak things to 
 the power of supplications. 
 
 And what shall I more say ? for time 
 would fail me, as the apostle speaks, if I 
 should tell of Samuel, of Samson, Je- 
 hoshaphat, and of the prophets and apos- 
 tles, who by prayer procured thunder to 
 destroy their enemies; out of weakness 
 were made strong; turned to flight the 
 mighty hosts of adversaries ; the dead they 
 raised to life again ; made the lame from 
 the w^omb to walk and leap ; healed dis- 
 eases beyond the skill of art to cure, — 
 Behold prayer's efficacy, though performed 
 by men of like passions with ourselves ! 
 
62 PRAY ALWAYS. 
 
 this should persuade us to the love and 
 practice of the duty. 
 
 3. "Who is it that would hinder you 
 from prayer ? — Who stands at your right 
 hand to resist you? Certainly it is an 
 enemy, who is unwilling you should draw 
 nigh to God, because he knows it is so 
 good for you, Psalm Ixxiii. Your own 
 hearts also are ready to draw back, but 
 this argues their egregious folly and despe- 
 rate wickedness. 
 
 4. What has followed upon the omis- 
 sion of prayer ? — Has not this omission 
 ushered in sins of commission ? Have 
 you not, when you have neglected to cry 
 for strength in your souls, found yourselves, 
 like Reuben, unstable as water? Have 
 you not easily been induced to do that 
 which has filled the face of God with 
 frowns, and the mouth of conscience with 
 reproaches ? On the other side, has not 
 prayer been with success sometimes ? have 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 63 
 
 you not found encouragement and grace 
 at the mercy-seat ? Oh do that wliich 
 both bitter and sweet experience prompts 
 you to. 
 
 5. Prayer is an honourable employ- 
 ment. — In this duty you have admittance 
 to the ear of the King of Heaven ; how 
 high is your company ? your " fellowship 
 is with the Father and with his Son Jesus 
 Christ," 1 John i. 3. Though the Lord 
 be high, yet he hath respect unto the low- 
 ly ; he will regard the prayer of the most 
 destitute, and not despise it ; he allows 
 you a freedom to pour out your complaints, 
 and to malce known before him your trou- 
 bles. And what honour is this, to have 
 to do immediately with God, " to have 
 him so nigh to you in all that you call 
 upon him for?" Deut. iv. 7. 
 
 6. Frequency and fervency in prayer 
 will be a great evidence of your regenera- 
 tion and adoption. The child when born. 
 
64 PRAY ALWAYS. 
 
 cries, and the sinner when born again 
 prays. Of Paul it was said as soon as he 
 was converted, " Behold he prayeth," 
 Acts ix. 11. It is the spirit of adoption 
 that makes us cry, " Abba, Father." If 
 we cannot be satisfied unless we approach 
 unto God, and value his favour and fel- 
 lowship above all earthly things ; and are 
 chiefly desirous of those blessings which 
 he never gives in wrath ; and having 
 given, never takes away again ; we may 
 conclude from our spiritual breathing, our 
 spiritual life. Now a good evidence of 
 regeneration, what will it be worth in a 
 day of trouble, in a dying hour ? 
 
 The last use shall be of encouragement 
 to believers, 
 
 1. Their prayers are God's delight. — 
 " The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomi- 
 nation to the Lord ; but the prayer of the 
 upright is his delight," Prov. xv. 8. " O 
 my dove, that ait in the clefts of the rock, 
 
PRAY ALWAYS. 65 
 
 in the secret place of the stairs, let me see 
 thy countenance, let me hear thy voice, 
 for thy voice is sweet, and thy countenance 
 is comely," Cant. ii. 14. We are pleased 
 with the talk and requests of our children, 
 though their language be lisped and broken ; 
 and God is infinitely more indulgent than 
 earthly parents are or can be, and much 
 more wilUng to give good things than they. 
 Matt. vii. 11. 
 
 2. There are many reasons why the God 
 whom believers pray to, should answer 
 them. 
 
 First. They are his chosen ones. — God 
 pitched his love on them before the foun- 
 dation of the world was laid. 
 
 Secondly. They are his Son's purchase. 
 — He has bought them with a price, shed 
 his blood for the remission of their sins, 
 and given his life for their ransom. 
 
 Thirdly. They are in covenant with 
 F 
 
66 ALL PRAYEK. 
 
 God. — He has engaged to be their God, 
 and surely he will be their guard also. 
 
 FourtJdy. They are vessels of mercy, 
 in whom he deigns to glorify his grace and 
 love for ever. 
 
 Surely then he will heed these when 
 they pray; he will give them the good 
 they need, and save them from the evil 
 which makes them fly to him for shelter. 
 I have done with the first doctrine, That 
 a Christian's security lies very much in 
 praying always. 
 
 All prayer is of concernment to be used 
 — " praying always with all prayer," says 
 the text. — Prayer is a duty of very great 
 extent, and the parts of it are admirably 
 suited to the present state and condition of 
 a Christian, and the divers kinds of prayer 
 very well agree with the various circum- 
 stances wherein we are. All the ways of 
 
ALL PRAYER. 67 
 
 seeking God shall be to purpose, if he be 
 but sought diligently, and according as he 
 himself has appointed ; for he tells us 
 plainly, that " he says not to the seed of 
 Jacob, seek ye me in vain," Isa. xlv. 19. 
 
 Two things I shall here insist on. 1st, 
 I shall speak concerning the parts of 
 prayer, and show how all these parts are 
 to be used. 2dly, I shall mention the 
 several kinds of prayer, and endeavour so 
 to persuade and direct you to each kind, 
 that this duty may be performed in its 
 utmost latitude. 
 
 1 begin with the parts of prayer, and 
 they are these: — 
 
 1. One part of prayer is an humble 
 compellation, or naming of God. — Those 
 titles that are given him in Scripture we 
 must be acquainted with ; and such should 
 be used as are most suitable unto the mat- 
 ter of our prayers, and which have the 
 greatest tendency to excite those gracious 
 
 F2 
 
68 ALL PRAYER. 
 
 and spiritual affections which are required 
 in our supplications. If we consult the 
 prayers of saints, which are recorded in 
 the Bible, we shall find that God is called 
 sometimes " Lord," sometimes " Father," 
 sometimes " the great and Mighty and 
 Terrible God," sometimes " the King of 
 Glory," sometimes " the High and Lofty 
 One that inhabits eternity, whose name is 
 Holy," sometimes " the God and Father 
 of Christ," and likewise "the Father of 
 Mercies, and God of all Comforts." It is 
 not amiss to add unto God's title those 
 attributes, the consideration whereof may 
 help towards such a frame of spirit as 
 becomes prayer. 
 
 Would we have our heart in a holy 
 awe, and filled with reverence and godly 
 fear? Mention then his omnipresence, 
 greatness, his holiness, and jealousy. Would 
 we have our hearts broken for sin? Men- 
 tion his anger and hatred of iniquity ; and 
 
ALL PRAYER. 69 
 
 withal, his goodness, and forbearance, and 
 readiness to be reconciled for " the riches 
 of his goodness and long-suffering strongly- 
 lead unto repentance," Rom. ii. 4. Fi- 
 nally, would we in our requests have our 
 desires enlarged, and our faith encourag- 
 ed, and be also forward to praise ? Men- 
 tion then the freeness of God's love, the 
 superabundance of his grace, as he is the 
 Father of Jesus Christ. As of old he was 
 styled, " the Lord that brought Israel out 
 of Egypt," and afterwards, " the Lord that 
 delivered Judah from the North country,'' 
 namely, out of the Babylonish captivity ; 
 so likewise in the New Testament, he is 
 called " the God and Father of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ," Eph. i. 3. ; 1 Pet. i. 3. ; 2 
 Cor. i. 3. Christ is the only prevailing 
 advocate in prayer; and his relation to 
 God the ground of our hope and expecta- 
 tions. 
 
70 ALL PRAYER. 
 
 2. A second part of prayer is, acknow- 
 ledgment and confession of sin. — This 
 confession God requires. " Only acknow- 
 ledge thy iniquity," that thou hast trans- 
 gressed against the Lord thy God. To 
 confess sin has been the practice of the 
 penitent. God has been honoured when 
 offending of him has been acknowledged 
 most unreasonable and heinous ; and 
 confession has had a great influence to 
 the making of sinners humble and asham- 
 ed ; and upon it how quickly has forgive- 
 ness followed ! " When I kept silence," 
 (that is, while I excused and extenuated 
 my sin, and refused ingenuously to ac- 
 knowledge it,) *♦ my bones waxed old ; 
 through my roaring all the day long. For 
 day and night thy hand was heavy upon 
 me; my moisture was turned into the 
 drought of summer. I acknowledged my 
 sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I 
 
ALL PRAYER. 71 
 
 not hid. I said, I will confess my trans- 
 gressions unto the Lord ; and thou forgavest 
 the iniquity of my sin," Psalm xxxii. 3 — 5. 
 This confession of sin in prayer should 
 be particular ; general acknowledgments 
 move but little; the very root of sin 
 must be dug unto, and bewailed. Paul 
 cries out, he was a *" blasphemer, and a 
 persecutor, and injurious,'' 1 Tim. i. 13. 
 and laments " the law in his members," 
 the body of death, that made him so 
 forward unto evil, Rom. vii. David 
 particularizes his uncleanness and blood- 
 guiltiness, and traces these abominable 
 streams unto the fountain whence they 
 issued forth, the corruption of his nature. 
 ^' Behold I was shapen in iniquity, and 
 in sin did my mother conceive me," Ps. 
 li. 5. Our despising the remedy which 
 Christ offers in the gospel, should also be 
 confessed with special sorrow ; for herein 
 we go beyond the very devils, who never 
 
72 ALL PRAYER. 
 
 had one ofter of pardon and grace made 
 to them. And finally, as there is abun- 
 dant cause, we should fall to "judgmg 
 and condemning ourselves." One that is 
 truly penitent is, as a certain author ex- 
 presses it, " a faithful pleader for God 
 against himself." We must unclasp the 
 book of conscience and spread it before 
 the Lord, we must hold up our hands and 
 cry, ' Guilty, guilty !' and say we can lay 
 claim to nothing as our due, but severity 
 and punishment. 
 
 3. A third part of prayer is deprecation, 
 or praying against what we have deserved, 
 and are afraid of. — We ought, with great 
 solicitude, to pray against the anger and 
 hatred of God. " He, even He, is to be 
 feared : who can stand in his sight when 
 once he is angry ?" Psalm Ixxvi. 7. The 
 anger of God expresses itself several ways : 
 the lightest expression of it, namely, in 
 temporal and outward calamities, are 
 
ALL PRAYER. 73 
 
 sometimes very terrible. Pestilence, fa- 
 mine, the sword of war, which devours 
 flesh and drinks blood : how intolerable 
 are they to look upon? But spiritual 
 judgments are worse than these, and argue 
 hotter displeasure ; when the Lord gives 
 sinners up to blindness of mind, seared- 
 ness of conscience, strong delusions, vile 
 affections, hardness of heart ; this shows 
 he is extremely angry. The other may, 
 but these judgments especially should be 
 deprecated. 
 
 But the worst of all is to come in the 
 other world, and that is the vengeance of 
 eternal fire ! Oh how importunate should 
 we be to be delivered from wrath to come ! 
 that we may not be sentenced to depart 
 with a curse at the great day ! that hell 
 may not be our eternal home ! How 
 importunate should we be, that we may 
 not in utter darkness be gnawed by the 
 worm that never dies, that we may not 
 
74 ALL PRAYER. 
 
 dwell with devouring fire, nor inhabit 
 everlasting burnings. 
 
 4. A fourth part of prayer is petition. — 
 Here God gives us leave to be bold and 
 large, and when we have asked never so 
 much, he is ready to do exceeding abun- 
 dantly above all that we can ask, or has 
 entered into the heart of man to conceive. 
 Pardon we should petition for, for we 
 highly need it; and the Lord has said, 
 " though we have made him to serve with 
 our sins, and wearied him with our iniqui- 
 ties, yet he will blot out our trangressions 
 for his own sake, and remember our sins 
 no more," Isa. xliii. 24, 25. Till a par- 
 don be obtained, nothing else can be ex- 
 pected ; but when once God in Christ is 
 reconciled, and become a Father, nothing 
 will be denied. His love, therefore, and 
 the sense of it, should be entreated with 
 our whole heart. And since the Lord 
 has promised to give both grace and 
 
ALL PRAYER. 75 
 
 glory, (Psalm Ixxxiv. 11.) we may be 
 bold to be petitioners for both. We should 
 be earnest that grace and holiness may be 
 wrought, in truth in our hearts, that grace 
 may be continually increased, and that we 
 may persevere, and be faithful to the very 
 death ; and, at length, attain that glory, 
 honour, and immortality which is pro- 
 mised unto patient continuance in well- 
 doing. Temporal blessings also we have 
 leave to ask, for the Lord considers our 
 frame, and every way is ready to encou- 
 rage us unto our duty. 
 
 5. A fifth part of prayer is, intercession 
 for others. — Not only those should be 
 remembered by us, that stand in a near 
 relation to us, but we should be concerned 
 for the whole city, for the whole nation ; 
 nay, for the whole church of Christ mili- 
 tant upon earth. We should " prefer 
 Jerusalem before our chief joy," we should 
 " not keep silence," we should " give the 
 
76 ALL PRAYER. 
 
 Lord no rest till he establish, and till he 
 make Jerusalem a praise in the earth," 
 Isa. Ixii. 6, 7. We should in nowise hold 
 our peace, " till the righteousness thereof 
 go forth as brightness, and the salvation 
 thereof as a lamp that burneth ;" that is, 
 till the church is both reformed, and de- 
 livered from oppressing adversaries. In 
 prayer we are to have regard to ourselves, 
 to others, nay, to the Lord himself, and to 
 Christ his Son. We are to beg that his 
 name may be hallowed, from the rising of 
 the sun, to the going down of the same ; 
 that his kingdom may come ; and that all 
 on earth may do his will, and submit unto 
 the sceptre of his word. 
 
 6. Another part of prayer is impreca- 
 tion. — Some are such, that we are to 
 desire the Lord would tight against them. 
 The evil angels, we may pray that the 
 Lord will rebuke them, and pull down 
 that kingdom of darkness under which 
 
ALL PRAY En. 77 
 
 the most of men are held in bondage. In 
 reference to men, we must be much upon 
 our guard against wishing them personal 
 evil. David and the other prophets are 
 not examples for us to follow in this 
 matter; for they knew by a prophetic 
 spirit God's intentions concerning the 
 persons that they prayed against. The 
 general rule which we ought to follow, is 
 this ; " But T say unto you, love your 
 enemies ; bless them that curse you, do 
 good to them that hate you; pray for 
 them that despitefully use you, and per- 
 secute you," (Mat. v. 44. ;) this is to 
 resemble God, " who maketh his sun to 
 rise on the evil and the good." We are 
 to beg rather the conversion than the 
 confusion of our enemies ; and supposing 
 they are implacable and incorrigible, we 
 must desire rather that they may be hin- 
 dered from doing harm by their designs 
 and power, than that harm may come to 
 
78 ALL PRAYER. 
 
 them. Even when we pray against Anti 
 Christ, whom we find devoted in Scripture 
 to destruction, we must have no private 
 grudge against the persons of any, but 
 our eye must be fixed on Christ's ho- 
 nour, which Popery so much injures, and 
 on the advancement of his kingdom in 
 the world. 
 
 7. A seventh part of prayer is, thanks- 
 giving, — ^The Lord's prayer ends with a 
 doxology, or giving honour unto God : 
 " For thine is the kingdom, and the 
 power, and the glory, for ever," Mat, vi. 
 13. To praise is to " speak with the 
 tongues of angels," All the creatures 
 that are visible, are mute, besides man ; 
 * he is the world's high-priest,' that should 
 offer this sacrifice of praise for all ; ' he 
 is the tongue of the creation,' which 
 should be sounding forth God's goodness 
 towards all. How much does the Lord 
 let forth unto us ! And shall we deny him 
 
ALL PRAYER. 79 
 
 the revenue of praise? His mercies are 
 without number, and his love without 
 motive, and without measure : when 
 praise is offered, he accounts himself glo- 
 rified. Psalm 1. 23. Therefore " in every 
 thing we should give thanks, for this is 
 the will of God in Christ Jesus concern- 
 ing us," 1 Thess. V. 18. Thus have I gone 
 over the parts of prayer, and none of these 
 parts are needless. 
 
 In the second place, I am to give you 
 the several kinds of prayer. Prayer is 
 two-fold ; vocal, when the voice and heart 
 are joined together; mental, when the 
 heart only is engaged. 
 
 I shall speak first of vocal prayer, when 
 tongue and heart go together in this duty. 
 
 There are several reasons why the 
 tongue is to be made use of in prayer. 
 
 1 . With our tongues we are to honour 
 God ; and when they are thus employed 
 speaking to him, or of him, or for him, 
 
80 ALL PRAYER. 
 
 then they are our glory. As there are 
 sins of the tongue, so duties of the tongue 
 too; and as the tongue of the swearer, 
 blasphemer, filthy and foolish talker, is 
 harsh and hateful to God, so the tongue 
 of him that prays sincerely, is pleasant. 
 Christ tells his spouse, that " her voice was 
 sweet, and her countenance comely." 
 
 2. In praying with others, words are 
 necessary. Some must be the mouth of 
 the rest unto God. 
 
 .3. Words, especially Scripture lan- 
 guage, help to excite and stir up the 
 affections, and they serve to keep the 
 heart more intent upon the duty. 
 
 This vocal prayer is threefold : first, 
 prayer in the closet : secondly, prayer in 
 the family : thirdly, prayer in the public 
 congregation and assembly . Of all these 
 I shall speak in order. 
 
 I. Prayer in the closet. — That secret 
 prayer is the Lord's ordinance, is very 
 
ALL PRAYER. 81 
 
 fevident : " But thou, when thou prayest, 
 enter into thy closet, and when thou hast 
 shut thy door, pray to thy Father which 
 is in secret/' Matt. vi. 6. And as our 
 Lord gave this precept, so he is our ex- 
 ample in regard of secret prayer : " And 
 in the morning, rising up a great while 
 before day, he went out, and departed 
 into a solitary place, and there prayed," 
 Mark i. 35- Jacob was left alone, and 
 wrestled with God, and had the name of 
 Israel given him, for as a prince he had 
 power with God and prevailed, Gen. 
 xxxii. 24. 28. Now if you would be 
 fully informed what this wrestling was, 
 compare the forecited place with Hosea 
 xii. 3, 4. " By his strength he had 
 power with God : yea, he had power over 
 the angel," that is, the Angel of the cove- 
 nant, " and prevailed : he wept and 
 made supplication unto him." 
 G 
 
82 ALL PRAYER. 
 
 Now for the better managing of this 
 sort of prayer, let these rules be observed 
 diligently : 
 
 1 . Study privacy, be as secret as pos- 
 sible, though we are not to be ashamed of 
 any duty ; and though our light is to shine 
 before men, that they seeing our good 
 works, may glorify our Father in heaven, 
 yet a Christian is to do much out of the 
 sight of others. As long as God's ear is 
 open to the most whispering prayers, 
 what need is there that any other ear 
 should hear a word which we speak? 
 When there is a desire that men should 
 take notice of our prayers, God takes no 
 notice of them, unless of the hypocrisy in 
 them, to abominate them ; therefore we 
 have that caution from the Lord Jesus ; 
 " And when thou prayest, thou shalt not 
 be as the hypocrites are_, for they love to 
 pray standing in the synagogues, and in 
 
ALL PR/VYER. 83 
 
 the comers of the streets, that they may 
 be seen of men. Verily, I say unto you, 
 they have their reward," Mat, vi. 5. 
 
 2. Take the fittest time for secret prayer. 
 The morning especially is to be chosen, 
 though once more in a day at least, it 
 should be your ordinary practice to pour 
 out your hearts in private before the 
 Lord : " My voice shalt thou hear in the 
 morning," says David, Psalm v. 3. " In 
 the morning, O Lord, will T direct my 
 prayer unto thee, and will look up." If 
 the soul be serious in its address unto 
 God, in the beginning of the day, it is 
 likely to have the more grace, and strength 
 to resist temptations, and to walk with 
 God all the day long. It is better to be 
 shorter in the evening duties, and larger 
 in the morning; then the spirits are 
 fresher and more abundant, and the soul 
 has not such clogs in its actings, as it 
 meets with when the body is spent and 
 
 (' 2 
 
84 ALL PRAYER. 
 
 tired. But if something unavoidably fall 
 out, that you cannot pray at the time you 
 desire, and were wont, be sure lay hold of 
 some other opportunity, and neglect not 
 the duty altogether. 
 
 3. Let the word of God be looked 
 into, and meditated on when prayer is 
 made : The word will direct you, quicken 
 and encourage you unto prayer. By the 
 word, God speaks to you, as by prayer 
 you speak to him; if you regard not 
 God's voice, how can you expect he 
 should mind yours ? If you will not hear, 
 and obey, he will not hear and grant what 
 you request of him. " The word should 
 dwell richly in you," Col. iii. 16. ; your 
 delight should be in the law of the Lord, 
 and in that law should you meditate day 
 and night. The Scriptures should be 
 searched, which shows they are a depth, 
 and all is not, at first looking into them, 
 discovered : " You must seek here as for 
 
ALL PIIAYER. 85 
 
 silver, and search here as for hid treasure, 
 if you would understand the fear of the 
 Lord, and find the knowledge of God." 
 How enlightening, how enlivening, how 
 cleansing, and transforming is the Word 
 of God ! How sweet and desirable are the 
 Lord's testimonies ! When the Spirit be- 
 comes the expositor of Scripture, and 
 opens the eyes too, to behold wondrous 
 things out of God's law, and affects the 
 heart, O then there is such efficacy, profit, 
 and sweetness as is beyond comparison ! 
 
 4. Be liberal in this duty of secret 
 prayer. Pray with an enlarged, and with 
 a free spirit; grudge not the time you 
 spend here, for this is the best way of 
 turning time unto a good account. Be 
 sensible how good it is to draw nigh to 
 God, for the promise is. If you draw nigh 
 to God, he will draw nigh to you. " Draw 
 nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to 
 you; cleanse your hands, ye sinners; 
 
86 ALL PRAYER. 
 
 purify your hearts, ye double-minded," 
 James iv. 8. Now God's drawing near 
 implies his being reconciled to us ; his 
 manifesting his power and grace for our 
 help and supply. O therefore go unto 
 God with a holy eagerness, who is so 
 ready to meet you, and " to satiate the 
 ■weary soul, and to replenish every sorrow- 
 ful soul." We must be much and often 
 with God, for this is the way to come to 
 an acquaintance with him : and the better 
 we are acquainted with him, the more we 
 shall love him, and be sensible of his love 
 to us. Listen to what is said. Job xxii. 21 . 
 " Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at 
 peace; thereby good shall come unto thee." 
 5. In secret prayer, be very particular. 
 Ease your consciences by a particular 
 enumeration of your iniquities, and the 
 aggravations which have heightened them. 
 Make known all your wants, before that 
 God, who has styled himself, " God All- 
 
ALL PRAYER. 87 
 
 sufficient ; " fear not that the Lord will be 
 weary of hearing, or be backward to give 
 a gracious return. When you are alone 
 with God, you may use the greater free- 
 dom of speech ; this being particular, will 
 contribute much unto your brokenness of 
 heart, with which the Lord is well pleased, 
 and also unto a sense of your manifold 
 wants, and making of you meet to be 
 supplied. 
 
 6. Look after secret prayer : Stand 
 upon your watch-tower, and observe what 
 answer is given. The merchant inquires 
 after the ships that he sends to sea. When 
 a petition is presented to a prince, you 
 wait what answer will be returned. Be 
 thus wise in prayer; if you speed not, 
 find out the impediment ; if you do speed, 
 be encouraged to exercise faith in God, 
 and to persist in prayer. " Because he 
 hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore 
 will I call upon him as long as I live,'' 
 
88 ALL PRAYER. 
 
 says David, Psalm cxvi. 2. And let 
 answers of prayer be matter of praise, that 
 Satan and conscience may not accuse you 
 of, and God may not be angry at, your 
 ingratitude. 
 
 Thus of the rules concerning secret 
 prayer. Now follow the arguments to 
 persuade unto it. 
 
 1. Consider, God sees in secret. — In 
 secret places God sees ; for he fills both 
 heaven and earth ; his omnipresence is an 
 evident demonstration of his omniscience. 
 As he cannot be confined to any place, so 
 neither can he be excluded. " All things 
 are open and naked before him," Heb. 
 iv. 13. And as his seeing in secret is 
 matter of terror to the ungodly, so of joy 
 unto the righteous. David speaks both 
 with wonder aud with gladness, (Psalm 
 cxxxix. 7—10.) " Whither shall I go 
 from thy spirit, or whither shall I flee 
 from thy presence ? If I ascend up into 
 
ALL PRAYER. 89 
 
 heaven thou art there ; if I make my bed 
 in hell, behold, thou art there ; if I take 
 the wings of the morning, and dwell in 
 the uttermost part of the sea, even there 
 shall thy hand lead me, and thy right 
 hand shall hold me." In what secret 
 corner soever you are, God is with you ; 
 all your sighs and groans, your complaints 
 and desires are taken notice of. 
 
 2. Frequency in secret prayer is a 
 great argument of uprightness and sin- 
 cerity. It is a sign you seek God himself, 
 when none but God knows of your seek- 
 ing him. What the apostle speaks of the 
 Jew, may be applied unto the Christian : 
 He is not a Christian that is one outwardly, 
 but he that is one inwardly ; not so much 
 openly, as in secret. The praise of such 
 is not of men, but of God. 
 
 3. Secret prayer is a marvellous way to 
 thrive in gi-ace, and to grow rich towards 
 God. By this means faith will grow ex- 
 
90 ALL PRAYER. 
 
 ceedingly, love will abound, and our sonls 
 will prosper. Some tradesmen keep a 
 shop and drive a trade there, and gain 
 thereby; but they have a secret way of 
 trading, which is not observed, and by 
 this they grow wealthy in a short space. 
 A Christian that is much in secret with 
 God, O how much does he gain ! How 
 good does such an one find the Lord ! 
 How ready both to forgive, and to give ! 
 And he can set his seal unto that truth, 
 that " God is plenteous in mercy unto 
 them that call upon him," Psalmlxxxvi.5. 
 4. Secret prayer is a means to fit for 
 public ordinances. — They that are most 
 upon their knees in the closet, w^ill get 
 most benefit in the sanctuary. The pre- 
 paration of the heart is from God, and he 
 must in secret be sought unto, to fit our 
 spirits for solemn worship. Those that, 
 before they come to hear, pray that the 
 Gospel may come to them, not in word 
 
ALL PRAYER. 91 
 
 only, but in power also, and the Holy 
 Ghost, and much assurance, these are 
 likely to find the Gospel working effec- 
 tually, and that it is the power of God to 
 their salvation. Those that before they 
 come to the table, examine themselves 
 alone, beg that God would search them, 
 and are importunate for strength against 
 every corruption, for all the fruits of 
 Christ's sufferings ; for all the graces of 
 the Spirit ; are not likely to be sent away 
 empty. 
 
 5. Secret prayer is a means to keep the 
 impression of public duties upon the heart, 
 after the duties themselves are ended. 
 Your work is not over when public ordi- 
 nances are over. Has any sin been dis- 
 covered and reproved ? You must go in 
 secret, and bewail it, and cry out, ' Lord, 
 let not this nor any iniquity have the do- 
 minion over me.' Has any duty been 
 made manifest ? you should go in secret 
 
92 ALL PRAYER. 
 
 and cry, " Incline my heart unto thy tes- 
 timonies, and make me to go in the path 
 of thy commandments." Have any gra- 
 cious and holy resolutions, by the motions 
 of the Spirit with the word, been made ? 
 you must go alone and beg, ' Keep this, 
 O Lord, for ever in the imagination of the 
 thoughts of my heart, and establish my 
 heart unto thee.' 
 
 6. Secret prayer is the way to have 
 special tokens of God's love, and those 
 joys that a stranger does not intermeddle 
 with. Oh the sweet meltings and thawings 
 of the heart for sin, as it is an abuse of 
 mercy, that are experienced in secret 
 prayer ! Oh the visits that the great Phy- 
 sician of souls does then make ! How 
 suitably and gently does he deal with the 
 wounded spirit! What assurance does 
 he give, that he will in no wise cast out, 
 but give rest unto the weary and heavy- 
 laden ! Oh what peace is spoken to the 
 
ALL PRAYER. 93 
 
 saints in answer to prayer ! what sweet 
 intimations are given, and sometimes what 
 a rich and full persuasion of their interest 
 in that love, which is unchangeable and 
 everlasting ! Surely " the secret of the 
 Lord is with them that fear him, and he 
 will show them his covenant." 
 
 7. Consider, God will reward openly. 
 This argument Christ uses (Matt. vi. 6.) 
 to enforce secret prayer : " Thy Father 
 which seeth in secret shall reward thee 
 openly." As all secret wickedness shall 
 at last be detected and punished, so all 
 secret piety and godliness shall be made 
 manifest before the whole world at the 
 judgment day, and the reward will be ex- 
 ceedine: great and everlasting. 
 
 So much, then, concerning prayer in 
 the closet. 
 
 II. Prayer in the family is to be insisted 
 on. And that family prayer is a duty? 
 
94 ALL PRAYER. 
 
 may be evidently proved by these argu- 
 ments. 
 
 1 . The apostle in the text enjoins all 
 prayer, and family prayer is one kind that 
 holy men have used. Joshua resolves, 
 that he and his house would serve the 
 Lord ; and prayer is so principal a part 
 of divine service, that in Scripture it is 
 sometimes put for the whole. " Then 
 began men to call upon the name of the 
 Lord ; " that is, in a more public manner 
 to worship him. So of Cornelius it is 
 said, " that he feared God with all his 
 house, and prayed unto the Lord always," 
 Acts X. 2. 
 
 2. Parents are called to bring up their 
 children in the nurture and admonition 
 of the Lord, to teach them in the way 
 wherein they ought to go, and to be a 
 pattern to them of the discharge of every 
 Christian duty. But how can they more 
 effectually furnish them with such an ex- 
 
ALL PKAYER 95 
 
 ample, than by bowing their knees along 
 with them before the throne of grace, and 
 imploring in their presence the best of 
 blessings upon them ? Few things are 
 more calculated to impress the minds of 
 children and of servants, than hearing 
 these prayers of the head of the family ; 
 and where they are seconded by a con- 
 sistent example, a signal blessing has 
 often accompanied them. 
 
 3. The family stands in need of bless- 
 ings, which they are to beg for together, 
 and to deprecate family evils. And for 
 encouragement Christ has promised that 
 where " two or three are gathered to- 
 gether in his name, he will be in the midst 
 of them." Now, in family duties two or 
 three are gathered together in Christ's 
 name, and his presence may, without pre- 
 sumption, be expected. 
 
 4. Wrath is threatened upon prayerless 
 families. " Pour out thy fury upon the 
 
96 ALL PRAYER. 
 
 families that call not upon thy name," 
 Jer. X. 25. I grant indeed that the word 
 families is of such a latitude, that it ex- 
 tends unto countries and kingdoms; but 
 if there be an obligation upon countries 
 and kingdoms to join in calling upon God, 
 surely then families more strictly taken, 
 are in no wise exempted. 
 
 Having proved family prayer a duty, I 
 shall lay down some directions as to the 
 performance of it. 
 
 1 . Be sensible that prayer is a business 
 of greater concernment than any worldly 
 business whatsoever. You are indeed to 
 be diligent to your callings that are par- 
 ticular ; but your general callings are of 
 greatest weight. The general calling is 
 that which all are called to : and what are 
 all called to ? They are called to serve 
 and glorify God, and to work out their 
 own salvation. Prayer is a part of your 
 
ALL PRAYER. 97 
 
 homage to the King of heaven. Much 
 spiritual and eternal benefit is to be ob- 
 tained by it, therefore do it not as a bye- 
 business, neither let every small matter 
 cause the omission of it. 
 
 2. Believe that success in your callings 
 depends upon the Lord's blessing. " The 
 blessing of the Lord maketh rich," says 
 Solomon, " and he addeth no sorrow with 
 it," Prov. X. 22. With this it is in vain 
 to rise up early, and to sit up late, and to 
 eat the bread of carefulness. Now prayer 
 for this blessing is the way to fetch it. 
 I grant indeed that many thrive in the 
 world without prayer ; but then wealth is 
 a curse and a snare to them ; it is a weight 
 that hinders them from ascending into the 
 hill of the Lord, and helps to sink them 
 into destruction and perdition. 
 
 3. Let prayer be ordinarily twice a-day, 
 as under the old law there was a morning 
 and evening sacrifice ; and let the whole 
 
 H 
 
98 ALL PRAYER. 
 
 family join in it if it be possible, since 
 there are none but need prayer, and may 
 receive advantage by it. 
 
 4. Let the Word of God be read when 
 prayer is made, that not only you, but 
 your households after you, may be ac- 
 quainted with the mysteries of the gospel, 
 and with the will of God, Abraham 
 communicated what he had learned from 
 the Lord unto his family; he used his 
 authority, " and commanded his children, 
 and his household after him, to keep the 
 way of the Lord, Gen. xviii. 19. 
 
 5. Take heed of customariness, and for- 
 mality in family worship ; engage always 
 with a serious spirit, and in every duty 
 stir up yourselves to take hold on God. 
 
 I conclude with the motives to persuade 
 you to family prayer. 
 
 1 . You that are governors have a charge 
 of the souls that dwell under your roof, and 
 must answer for them. Therefore you are 
 
ALL PRAYER. 99 
 
 to pray with tliem, to pray for them ; else 
 you will incur the guilt of the blood of 
 souls, and that will lie heavy. You pro- 
 vide food for your households, for you 
 are unwilling it should be said, you are 
 so much worse than infidels, as to suffer 
 any to starve that dwell with you. Oh 
 what unmercifalness is it patiently to suffer 
 those of your household to go on in the 
 way that leads to damnation ; and not to 
 call upon the Lord, in their hearing, that 
 they may be saved ! 
 
 2. Families are the seminaries both of 
 church and state ; and therefore as you 
 desire the church may be pure, and the 
 state righteous, look well imto your fami- 
 lies ; and let religion flourish in them. 
 Reformation indeed must begin at per- 
 sons ; and if every one would mend one, 
 all would be reform.ed. But from per- 
 sons it must proceed to houses : And if 
 these were once leavened with godliness, 
 
 H 2 
 
100 ALL PRAYER. 
 
 what holy cities, and what an happy 
 nation would there be ! 
 
 3. Consider, family worship has been 
 woefully neglected of late in these declin- 
 ing times. How many large consciences, 
 loose principles, and loose practices, are 
 there to be found among us ! We match 
 Laodicea in lukewarmness; and what was 
 said of languishing Sardis, may be applied 
 to us, that we have " a name to live, hut 
 are dead.'' In many families all are dead 
 as a stone, and there is a most impious 
 and gross neglect of God and duty; and 
 in other families all, are ready to die; 
 lively services are rarely to be found. O 
 it is high time to awake, and vigorously 
 to endeavour, that in our houses the Lord 
 may be served by all, and that with all 
 their heart, and all their soul, and all 
 their mind, and all their strength. 
 
 Thus much on the subject of family 
 prayer. 
 
ALL PRAYER. 101 
 
 III. Prayer in the public congregation 
 and assembly is to be spoken of. God's 
 temple of old was styled the " house of 
 prayer," because there his people met 
 together to seek his face. Public prayer 
 is a great ordinance, and when rightly 
 managed, of great efficacy. 
 
 Now the rules concerning public prayer 
 are these. 
 
 1 . These prayers must be performed in 
 a known tongue, that all may understand 
 and be edified, (1 Cor. xiv.) ; and they 
 should be well expressed ; nothing that 
 is crude, unseemly, or that borders upon 
 nonsense or impropriety, should be brought 
 forth in the assembly. 
 
 2. Come at the very beginning. To 
 come late, is both offensive to God, and 
 to serious spirits ; and it is to cheat and 
 defraud your own souls. And when you 
 are there, let your gesture be reverend; 
 for God expects worship and adoration 
 
102 ALL PRAYER. 
 
 from your whole man ; internal from 
 the soul, and external from the body. 
 
 3. Take heed of distraction, when there 
 are so many objects to divert you, and 
 your hearts are so exceeding slippery. 
 Remember God's jealous eye is fixed upon 
 you ; and as he cannot be deceived, so he 
 cannot endure to be mocked by you, 
 Gal. vi. 6. 
 
 4. Take heed of carnal designs in your 
 public duties. Let not your supplications 
 be like those of the Pharisees and Scribes, 
 of whom Christ says, they made " prayers 
 only for a pretence and show," Luke xx. 
 47. The hypocrites are like the birds of 
 prey, which though they soar never so 
 high towards heaven, yet their eye is still 
 downward, that they may catch some- 
 thing. Be not seemingly devout in the 
 congregation, that you may the more un- 
 suspectedly be unjust in your shops, and 
 secretly intemperate and unclean. But 
 
ALL PRAYER. 103 
 
 be very sincere in your public addresses 
 unto God ; as knowing you have to do 
 with him that sees not as man sees, that 
 judges not according to outward appear- 
 ance, but tries the heart and reins. 
 
 And, to persuade you to this public 
 prayer, consider, 
 
 1. God is hereby acknowledged and 
 honoured. His people hereby testify to 
 the world, that there is a Lord in heaven, 
 whom they worship, and from whom they 
 have their expectation. And indeed this 
 is one reason of public institutions, that 
 we may make a profession to the world 
 whose we are and whom we serve. 
 
 2. Tlie Lord vouchsafes something to 
 his people in the sanctuary, that elsewhere 
 is not to be found. David was in an ad- 
 mirable frame when he was in the wilder- 
 ness of Judah : God was liberal to him 
 both of grace and comfort ; but he was 
 not satisfied, because deprived of the pub- 
 
104 ALL PRAYER. 
 
 lie ordinances that were administered in 
 the tabernacle ; therefore he cries out, 
 " My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh 
 longeth for thee, to see thy power and thy 
 glory so as I have seen thee in the sanc- 
 tuary," Psalm Ixiii, 1, 2. 
 
 3. The united prayers of many saints 
 together, are stronger, and more apt to 
 prevail. Much fire together gives the 
 greater heat, and many waters joined, run 
 with more violence ; and in like manner, 
 when a great congregation joins together 
 as one man to wrestle with God in prayer, 
 how successful are they likely to be ! 
 Abraham alone had like to have prevailed 
 for Sodom ; but suppose there had been 
 an assembly of righteous ones belonging 
 to Sodom that had joined with Abraham 
 in prayer, surely the city had been spared. 
 
 I have despatched vocal prayer, which 
 I divided into three kinds, secret, family, 
 and public. 
 
ALL PRAYER. 105 
 
 In the second place, I come to speak 
 of mental prayer, when the heart alone 
 without the tongue is engaged. Now this 
 mental prayer is two-fold : First, more 
 solemn ; and secondly, more sudden and 
 ejaculatory. It is lawful and possible to 
 pray alone with the heart in a more solemn 
 manner, and truly in some places and in • 
 some circumstances, words may not be so 
 convenient to be uttered ; but where it is 
 convenient words should be used, because 
 it is difficult to pray any while only in 
 the heart, and do it without roving. 
 
 But mental prayer, that is more sudden 
 and ejaculatory, I shall a little dilate upon. 
 In this kind of prayer, the soul lifts up 
 itself to God, in some short desire or re- 
 quest. Thus " Moses cried unto God," 
 Exod. xiv. 15. and yet we read not of a 
 word uttered. Thus Nehemiah prayed, 
 when king Artaxerxes was speaking to 
 him; Neh. ii. 4. These holy ejaculations 
 
106 ALL PRAYER. 
 
 are the very breathings of the new crea- 
 ture; they mightily help to keep down 
 the lustings of the flesh, and to preserve 
 us unspotted by the world, or the unclean 
 god of it ; but the heart hereby is kept 
 close to the God of heaven. 
 
 Concerning this mental ejaculatory 
 prayer, let these directions be observed. 
 
 1 . Let the heart frequently be sending 
 up desires to God. All true desires are 
 observed, are pleasing to him, and shall 
 be satisfied ; let these desires therefore be 
 strong, and principally after the greatest, 
 that is to say, spiritual blessings. 
 
 2. In all your civil employments, 
 let your hearts ever and anon be thus 
 engaged ; this will make and keep you 
 spiritual; it will hinder your estrange- 
 ment from God, and your being ensnared 
 by the unrighteous mammon. 
 
 3. Let every temptation at the very first 
 be resisted by this kind of prayer : thus, 
 
ALL PRAYER. 107 
 
 " watch and pray, that ye enter not into 
 temptation/' Matt. xxvi. 41 . O sigh and 
 groan to the God of all grace, when you 
 find Satan assaulting, and a sinful and 
 deceitful heart ready to yield, that you 
 may have " grace to help in time of 
 need," Heb. iv. 
 
 4. Let this prayer begin and end every 
 duty ; sigh before for assistance, and sigh 
 afterwards for acceptance, and that infir- 
 mities, through Christ Jesus, may be 
 passed by ; and that you may obtain some 
 spiritual advantage by every ordinance. 
 
 5. Begin and end every day with men- 
 tal prayer. As soon as ever you awake, 
 there are many watching for your first 
 thoughts ; Satan, and sin, and the world 
 will have them, if your souls are not 
 lifted up to the Lord. Let him be last 
 likewise in your thoughts ; this is the way 
 to lie down in peace and safety, Psalm iv. 
 
 6. Especially upon the Sabbath-day, 
 
108 ALL PRAYER. 
 
 ejaculatory prayer should be abundant ; 
 you must not then think your own thoughts, 
 nor find your own pleasures. Holy desires 
 should issue forth continually. Sabbaths 
 would be gainful seasons indeed, were they 
 but thus improved. 
 
 7. Mix mental prayer and praise 
 together. Let your souls, and all that 
 is within you, bless the Lord upon any 
 manifestation of his goodness, while you 
 desire blessings from him. 
 
 And thus have I gone over the parts 
 and kinds of prayer. Much work indeed 
 I have told you of, but the more work the 
 better; for the more grace is to be expect- 
 ed in order unto the performing of what 
 is required. I shall conclude with a very 
 brief application in two words. 
 
 1 . How sharply are they to be reproved , 
 and liow melancholy is their condition, 
 who, instead of praying with all prayer. 
 
ALL PRAYER. 109 
 
 use no prayer, but live in the total neglect 
 of this duty ? 
 
 2. Let the disciples of Christ be per- 
 suaded to pray with all prayer. AH 
 prayer that God has appointed, he is 
 ready to hear. In all prayer the name of 
 Christ must be used, as it is only for his 
 sake we can expect acceptance ; and the 
 promises of God, which are sure, exceed- 
 ing great and precious, may be pleaded ; 
 and how glad may we be that the Lord 
 has appointed so many successful ways of 
 seeking him, wherein he has consulted the 
 variety of our conditions and necessities ! 
 So much for the second doctrine. 
 
 Prayer when rightly performed, is sup- 
 plication in the Spirit. Indeed, all our 
 worship of God, who is a spirit, "must 
 be in spirit and in truth," else it is in fact 
 no worship. As the body without the 
 
110 SUPPLICATION IN 
 
 spirit is dead, so duties without spirit are 
 dead also. 
 
 In the handling of this point, I shall, 
 first, open to you. What it is to pray in 
 the spirit : Secondly, Lay down the rea- 
 sons of the doctrine : Thirdly, Answer 
 some cases of conscience about praying in 
 the spirit: Lastly, Make application. 
 
 First, What it is to pray in the spirit. 
 This, as I have already intimated, refers 
 both to the spirit of him that prays, and 
 also to the Spirit of God, who helps to 
 pray. 
 
 (1.) This praying in the spirit refers 
 unto the spirit of him that prays, and se- 
 veral things are here included. 
 
 1. To pray with our spirit, implies, to 
 pray with understanding. " I will pray 
 with the spirit, and I will pray with the 
 understanding also," 1 Cor. xiv. 15. We 
 must not only understand the words that 
 
THE SPIRIT. Ill 
 
 are spoken, but also, and that principally, 
 the worth of those things which we petition 
 for ; we must likewise in some measure 
 be acquainted with the all-sufficiency and 
 faithfulness of that God whom we pray to, 
 and with our own indigency that are the 
 petitioners. The Athenians had an altar 
 dedicated " to the unknown God :" and 
 they are said "ignorantly to worship him;" 
 and truly all their worship degenerated 
 into superstition. We must know the 
 Lord and ourselves, what his promises 
 and our own needs are, else prayer will 
 be of no account. 
 
 2. To pray with our spirit, implies to 
 pray with judgment, discerning between 
 things that differ. There is as vast a dif- 
 ference between sin and holiness, as there 
 is between deformity and beauty : There 
 is as vast a difference between the crea- 
 ture and the Creator, as there is between 
 the " broken cisterns that can hold no 
 
112 SUPPLICATION IN 
 
 water," and " the fountain of living wa- 
 ters." " Be astonished, O ye heavens at 
 this, and be horribly afraid ; be ye very 
 desolate, (saith the Lord,) for my people 
 have committed two evils, they have for- 
 saken me, the Fountain of living waters, 
 and hewed them out cisterns, broken cis- 
 terns that can hold no water." There is 
 as vast a difference between a state of 
 grace and a state of wrath, as there is 
 between heaven and hell. Now he that 
 prays, must be apprehensive of all this ; 
 and a believing apprehension of it, will 
 make him earnest for the loving-kindness 
 of the Lord, and that he may taste more 
 and more of the Fountain of living waters, 
 and be cleansed from all defilements. 
 
 3. To pray with our spirits implies, to 
 pray with intention of mind. Abraham 
 drove away the fowls that did light upon 
 his sacrifice ; and so should we drive away 
 the impertinent, and sinful, and t--iible- 
 
THE SPIRIT. 113 
 
 some thoughts that arise, or are injected 
 into our hearts, when we engage in prayer. 
 Our hearts cannot wander in the least, 
 but they are espied by him, whose ^ name 
 is jealous.' We should therefore desire 
 that the Lord himself, who holds the wind 
 in his hand, would seize upon our more 
 unruly hearts, and keep them close to 
 himself in duty, especially considering 
 there are some kinds of distractions that 
 nullify and make void prayer; distrac- 
 tions that are not regarded, not lamented, 
 not watched, or striven against. 
 
 4. To pray with our spirits, implies, to 
 pray with spiritual affections. The affec- 
 tions are the wings of the soul ; and the 
 soul is carried either to or from any thing, 
 according as the affections are inclined. 
 The apostle, exhorting to seek the things 
 that are above, presently adds, " Set your 
 affection on things above," Col. iii. 1,2. 
 intimating, we shall never seek the things 
 
114 SUPPLICATION IN 
 
 above in good earnest, unless our affec- 
 tions be placed on them. Those affections 
 that have evil for their object, must spend 
 their strength upon sin, which is the worst 
 of all evils. Sin must be hatea most per- 
 fectly ; sin must cause the deepest sorrow ; 
 sin must be most feared ; and against sin 
 the heart should rise with the greatest 
 indignation. Those affections that have 
 good for their object, as love, desire, and 
 the like, should run with a full stream 
 towards God, and those great things that 
 are brought to light by the gospel, and 
 promised in the covenant of grace. The 
 stronger and more spiritual our affections 
 are in prayer, the better success will fol- 
 low : It is said of Judah, (2 Chron. xv. 
 15.) that they " sought the Lord with 
 their whole desire, and he was found of 
 them." 
 
 (2.) This praying in the Spirit, refers to 
 the Spirit of God who helps to pray. The 
 
THK SPIRIT, 115 
 
 Apostle Jude exhorts to build up ourselves 
 on our most holy faith, and to pray " in 
 the Holy Ghost/' Jude 20.; and solo 
 keep ourselves in the love of God ; look- 
 ing for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ 
 unto eternal life. Now the operation, or 
 working of the Spirit of God in prayer, I 
 shall explain in these particulars. 
 
 1 . The Spirit of God teaches believers 
 what to pray for ; he opens their eyes to 
 understand the Word, and to know what 
 the will of the Lord is. " We know 
 not," (says the apostle) " what we should 
 pray for as we ought, but the Spirit 
 maketh intercession for the saints ac- 
 cording to the will of God," Rom. viii. 27. 
 
 2. The Spirit removes impedinients to 
 prayer ; he turns that love, that naturally 
 is in the heart to sin, into hatred; he 
 causes the world that was idolized to be 
 contemned ; he cures that infidelity, in 
 reference to the excellency of spiritual 
 
 I 2 
 
116 SUPPLICATION IN 
 
 things, that the unrenewed soul is full of; 
 as also that enmity against God and holi- 
 ness, which was in the mind all the while 
 it was carnal. " Where the spirit of the 
 Lord is, there is liberty," 2 Cor. iii. 17.; 
 the fetters are knocked off, the clogs re- 
 moved, the soul is brought out of prison, 
 and is made free, both unto the perform- 
 ance of duty, and free in the performance 
 of it. 
 
 3. The Spirit encourages unto prayer; 
 he lets believers understand, that " now is 
 the accepted time, that now is the day of 
 salvation." Wherefore, he saith, I have 
 heard thee in a time accepted, and in a 
 day of salvation have I succoured thee ; 
 behold, now is the accepted time, be- 
 hold, now is the day of salvation." 
 2 Cor. vi. 2. Though the Lord should 
 have been sought much sooner, yet it is 
 not too late to seek him now ; he will be 
 found by the hearty seeker ; sach seeking 
 
THE SPIRIT. 117 
 
 shall not be in vain : " But if from thence 
 thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou 
 shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy 
 heart, and with all thy soul." Deut.iv. 29. 
 
 4. The Spirit enables believers to ex- 
 ercise those graces that are required in 
 prayer. There are four graces especially 
 that should be exercised, Humility, Faith, 
 Love, Patience. 
 
 1 . Humility. The Lord has a special 
 regard to the humble ; whereas the proud 
 he knows afar off, and has threatened to 
 resist the proud. The humble soul has 
 high and awful apprehensions of God in 
 prayer, and mean, very mean thoughts of 
 itself. Abraham was humble when he 
 said, " Behold, I have taken upon me to 
 speak unto the Lord, who am but dust 
 and ashes." Job was humble when he 
 said, " Mine eye seeth thee, wherefore I 
 abhor myself." Tlie good angels them- 
 selves are humble, though never in the 
 
118 SUPPLICATION IN 
 
 least Qffenders. The cherubim " cover 
 their faces with their wings, and cry out, 
 Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts, the 
 whole earth is filled with his glory." How 
 vile then should we be in our own eyes 
 who by our guilt are so obnoxious ; who 
 have so many foul spots and stains upon 
 our souls, which are the effects of sin, 
 nay, whose very " righteousnesses are but 
 as filthy rags?'' Isa. Ixiv. 6. 
 
 2. Faith is to be exercised in prayer ; 
 and truly we may come with confidence 
 to the throne of grace, if we consider the 
 power of God, which is not only most 
 mighty, but almighty. " I am God Al- 
 mighty," saith the Lord to Abraham, the 
 father of the faithful. He can do more 
 for us than we can desire should be done 
 for us. Nothing is too hard for him ; 
 and although all other helps fail, he needs 
 them not: his arm, when alone, can 
 bring salvation. This power of God may 
 
THE SPIRIT. 119 
 
 safely be relied on, for he is also full of 
 mercy. " God hath spoken once, twice 
 have I heard this, that power belongeth 
 unto God, also unto thee belongeth mercy." 
 Psalm Ixii. David was encouraged by 
 this in his supplications, Psalm xxv. 6. 
 " Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies 
 and thy loving kindnesses, for they have 
 been ever of old." And we have not 
 only an intimation of God's merciful na- 
 ture, but in his covenant, he has promised 
 to show mercy, for this he delights in ; 
 and Christ is the Mediator of this cove- 
 nant, so that it is most sure. Hear the 
 apostle, Heb. viii. 10. 12. " Tliis is the 
 covenant that I will make, saith the 
 Lord, I will put my laws into their mind, 
 and write them in their hearts : and I will 
 be to them a God, and they shall be to me 
 a people ; for I will be merciful to their 
 unrighteousness, and their sins, and ini- 
 quities will I remember no more." 
 
120 SUPPLICATION IN 
 
 3. Love is to be exercised in prayer, 
 There must be a love to our neighbour, 
 and they must from the heart be forgiven, 
 who have trespassed against u?. Shall 
 we think much of a few pence, when we 
 are debtors many thousand talents? But 
 principally, there must be love to the 
 Lord expressed in prayer ; his favour, 
 and fellowship with him must be longed 
 for ; the soul must thirst for God, for the 
 living God, as the chased hart after the 
 water-brooks. And when he does mani- 
 fest himself, he must be rejoiced and de-^ 
 lighted in, and his grace admired, what- 
 ever is received. 
 
 4. Patience is also to be exercised in 
 prayer. There must be a patient waiting 
 in this duty, a right understanding of 
 God's wisdom and faithfulness ; that he 
 knows what, and when to give, and will 
 do it in the best time and measure, will 
 be a great means to cure our over-hasti- 
 
THE SPIRIT. 121 
 
 ness. David is to be imitated, who said, 
 " I waited patiently for the Lord/' and 
 he lost nothing by it ; for it follows, " He 
 inclined his ear unto me, and heard my 
 cry." These are the graces which the 
 Spirit enables believers to exercise in 
 prayer. 
 
 5. The Spirit directs believers unto 
 Christ, as the alone prevailing advocate. 
 We are said to have access to the Father, 
 by the Spirit, and through the Son. 
 Eph. ii. 18. The Spirit leads us to Christ 
 as the Mediator, who is the way unto 
 God. The Spirit shows, that God having 
 given Christ, has opened, through him, 
 the treasures of his grace, and for his 
 sake will give freely all things. The 
 Spirit still is turning the eye of the be- 
 liever towards the Lord Jesus, and in 
 prayer instructs us how to improve his 
 relation to us, who is bone of our bone, 
 flesh of our fieah, and is become a head 
 
122 SUPPLICATION IN 
 
 and husband to us ; how to improve his 
 sufferings, by which all that we need has 
 been procured ; how to improve his in- 
 tercession, which, as it is incessant, so it 
 is never denied; and, finally, how to 
 improve his power and authority, for he 
 can do what he will, both in heaven and 
 in earth. He is the Prince of Peace, and 
 the Lord of life and glory : he can give 
 peace, and life, and glory to whom he 
 pleaseth. 
 
 6. The Spirit makes believers sincere in 
 their aims when they pray. They design 
 the hallowing and honouring of God's 
 name, as well as their own welfare. They 
 beg for pardon and grace, not only be- 
 cause it is good for themselves to have 
 these, but likewise, because the Lord glo- 
 rifies his grace, and mercy, and goodness, 
 in forgiving, and healing, and saving those 
 that cry to him. 
 
 Thus you see what it is to pray in the 
 
THE SPIRIT. 123 
 
 spirit ; and consequently it does not lie 
 barely, either in fluency of utterance, or in 
 variety of expressions, or in multitude of 
 words. 
 
 Now follow the reasons of the doctrine, 
 and they are of two sorts : First, Why 
 our own spirits should engage in prayer. 
 
 1. Because God is a Spirit. Our Lord 
 assigns this as a reason why worship 
 should be in spirit, because God is a 
 Spirit, who is worshipped. 
 
 2. He principally requires our spirit. 
 "My son, give me thine heart." Prov.xxiii. 
 26. And truly he does narrowly observe 
 where our hearts are, when we are at 
 prayer; and no wonder, for our spirits 
 are most capable of serving him. To 
 admire, fear, love, trust in him, these are 
 the principal ways of worshipping him, 
 and this is done with the heart. 
 
 3. Without our spirits, prayer is but a 
 
124 SUPPLICATION IN 
 
 mockery. If the Lord is honoured with 
 the mouth, and the heart be far from him, 
 God says, " In vain do they worship me, 
 and I will not hold them guiltless." And 
 this you may observe, that when our hearts 
 are not engaged in prayer, they are com- 
 manded by the Lord's enemies : Sin, the 
 world, and Satan, do detain them. 
 
 The second sort of reasons are. Why we 
 must pray by the help of the Spirit of 
 God. His assistance is necessary, 
 
 1. Because of our darkness. We of 
 ourselves know not God, nor his will, nor 
 our own greatest needs, nor wherein lies 
 our great interest and truest happiness. 
 
 2. Because of our deadness. Active we 
 are as to sin, but unto prayer indisposed. 
 The dead man must be lifted and carried, 
 for of himself he cannot stir. We that 
 naturally are without strength, nay, with- 
 out life, cannot lift up our souls to God, 
 unless the Spirit lift them up to him. 
 
THE SPIRIT. 125 
 
 3. Because of the opposition that is 
 made by the evil one. When we come 
 to the mercy-seat, the devil makes nothing 
 of taking the right hand of us ; he is 
 ready to resist us, as he did Joshua the 
 high-priest, Zee. iii. 1.; and we are not 
 able to withstand him, unless the Spirit of 
 God, who is infinitely stronger, rebuke 
 him for us. 
 
 4. Tlie Spirit's assistance is necessary 
 in prayer, because of that natural averse- 
 ness in our own hearts unto what is good. 
 Whereas we should hate the evil, and love 
 the good ; we hate the good, and love the 
 evil ; nay, in the very best, there is a law 
 in the members, which wars against the 
 law of the mind, and evil is present. If 
 the Spirit were not also mightily and gra- 
 ciously present, there would be an utter 
 inability as to prayer, or any duty which 
 God requires. 
 
126 SUPPLICATION IN 
 
 In the third place, I am to answer some 
 cases of conscience concerning the spirit 
 of prayer. 
 
 1 , Whether all believers have the spirit 
 of prayer ? 
 
 I answer, that all true believers have 
 this spirit ; for the spirit of grace, which 
 all saints have received, is also a spirit of 
 supplication, Zech. xii. 10. ; and the 
 apostle expressly says, " if any man have 
 not the spirit of Christ, he is none of 
 his." 
 
 2. Whether only believers have the 
 spirit of prayer ? 
 
 I answer. The spirit of prayer is pecu- 
 liar to believers ; for where the Holy 
 Ghost does help the heart to pray, he 
 cleanses the heart from what before defiled 
 it, and turns the heart and the desires of 
 it towards God ; so that this is now its 
 language, " Whom have I in heaven but 
 
THE SPIRIT. 127 
 
 thee ? and there is none on earth I desire 
 besides thee," Psalm Ixxiii. 25. 
 
 3. Whether the spirit of prayer may 
 not be lost? 
 
 I answer, That the Spirit may be griev- 
 ed by our corruptions when they prevail, 
 and when we grow slothful and heedless 
 how we enter into temptation ; and being 
 grieved, may v^'ithdraw his quickening 
 and assisting influences. But the Spirit 
 is never quite lost by those that have been 
 truly renewed by him. He " abides for 
 ever" where he has consecrated any to be 
 his temple, John xiv. 1.6. David after 
 his fall, says, " Restore unto me the joy 
 of thy salvation," to show that his joy was 
 lost ; but he prays, " take not thy holy 
 Spirit from me," to signify that the Spirit 
 was not quite departed, though that de- 
 parture was deserved and feared. 
 
 4. May not persons excel in the gift of 
 prayer, that yet are void of the spirit ? 
 
128 SUPPLICATION IN 
 
 I answer in the affirmative. The gift of 
 prayer may only serve to puflF up profes- 
 sors with pride. How are such pleased 
 in reflecting upon the repute they have 
 gained by their enlargedness in expression! 
 And this pride is not checked, is not ab- 
 horred. Tlie words of prayer may be 
 used, and a carnal, worldly design carried 
 on. Hypocrites aim at an eminency in 
 gifts, that they may pass for godly ; and 
 under the cloak of religion, cover their 
 wickedness ; and in their most enlarged 
 supplications they aim at their own profit 
 or fame ; and are prodigiously destitute 
 of the fear of God. It is certain the gift 
 of prayer may be in the unsound-hearted ; 
 for even the gift of prophecy, which the 
 apostle prefers before other gifts, we find 
 in wicked men. " Many will say unto 
 me in that day. Lord, Lord, have we not 
 prophesied in thy name? Then will I 
 profess unto them, I never knew you ; 
 
THE SPIRIT. 129 
 
 depart from me, ye workers of iniquity," 
 Matt. vii. 22, 23. 
 
 5. May not some that have the spirit of 
 prayer be very weak in the gift of utter- 
 ance ? I answer. Yes : There was much 
 of the spirit of prayer in Hezekiah, when 
 he " chattered like a crane or swallow, and 
 mourned like a dove," Isa. xxxviii. 14. 
 The Lord regards not so much the expres- 
 sion as affection ; and the heart may be 
 sincere in its desires, when, not only be- 
 cause of the strength of those desires, but 
 also through confusion, there wants utter- 
 ance. Let not those therefore that are 
 but weak in expression be discouraged ; 
 for the heart may highly value mercy and 
 grace, and obtain both when prayer is but 
 lisped, and stammered forth by the tongue. 
 Now follows the application. 
 
 Use 1. Of reproof, which belongs, 
 1. To those who pray in form, but 
 K 
 
13p SUPPLICATION IN 
 
 whose heart and spirit pray not with them. 
 They put the Lord off with the bended 
 knees, the stretched-forth hands, the lift- 
 ed-up eyes, the labour of the lips, the 
 fruit of their invention ; but all this while 
 their hearts are not with him, and their 
 affections run astray after their vani- 
 ties and iniquities. The prayers of such 
 dissemblers are dead prayers, and truly 
 are to be numbered among their dead 
 works ; and their prayers not being mind- 
 ed by themselves, how should God have 
 regard to them, unless it be to hate and 
 punish them ? 
 
 2. They are to be reproved, who make 
 light of the Spirit of God, and of his assist- 
 ance in this duty of prayer. They account 
 the aid of the Holy Ghost, a needless, a 
 notional, and imaginary thing. Such 
 never knew what it is to wrestle v/ith God, 
 what it is to sigh and groan, and be, as it 
 
. THE SPIRIT. 131 
 
 were, in travail, till the blessings begged 
 for are obtained. O how impossible is it 
 that nature should rise thus high, till the 
 Spirit do renew and elevate it ! 
 
 Use 2. Of trial, whether we have the 
 spirit of prayer or not? And this may 
 be discerned by these following signs. 
 
 1. Those that have the spirit of prayer, 
 by the Spirit have been convinced of sin ; 
 John xvi. 8. He has discovered sin, 
 broken their hearts for it, and it is now 
 become a load to them, though, before, 
 they loved it never so extremely. Before 
 they hid sin, now they lay it open in 
 prayer ; before they excused it, now they 
 aggravate it, and judge themselves worthy 
 of hell and v/rath, because of it. 
 
 2. Those that have the spirit of prayer, 
 are made to look unto Christ crucified. " I 
 will pour out upon the house of David, 
 and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spi- 
 rit of supplication : Then shall they look 
 
 K 2 
 
132 SUPPLICATION IN 
 
 upon him whom they have pierced, and 
 mourn for him, and be in bitterness as one 
 is in bitterness for the loss of a first-born,'' 
 Zech. xii. 10. Christ crucified is looked 
 upon by such with a weeping eye, because 
 their sin was the cause of his sufferings ; 
 and with Tin eye of dependence, for all 
 their expectation of grace, and peace, and 
 life, is through him alone. 
 
 3. They that have the spirit of prayer, 
 are earnest for the fruits and graces of the 
 spirit ; that love, joy, peace, long-suffer- 
 ing, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, 
 temperance, all which the apostle enu- 
 merates. Gal. V. 22, 23. may be in them 
 and abound ; and they are restless in 
 prayer for the mortification of the deeds 
 of the flesh, for they consider w?iat is 
 said, Rom. viii. 13. " if ye live after the 
 flesh, ye shall die ; but if ye through the 
 Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, 
 ye shall live." 
 
THE SPIRIT. 133 
 
 4. They that have the spirit of prayer, 
 are enabled to go unto God as unto a 
 father. " And because ye are sons, God 
 hath sent forth the spirit of his Son into 
 your hearts, crying, Abba, Father," Gal. 
 iv. 6. Not but that doubts and fears may 
 be in those that have the spirit ; witness 
 the Psalmist, who cried out, " Will the 
 Lord cast off for ever ; and will he be 
 favourable no more ? Is his mercy clean 
 gone for ever ; doth his promise fail for 
 evermore ? Hath God forgotten to be 
 gracious ; hath he in anger shut up his 
 tender mercies?" Psalm Ixxvii. 7 — 9. 
 But at length, and truly it may be long 
 before, faith gets the better of unbelief 
 Many that are the children of God cannot 
 always call him Father ; yet even then 
 they go to him, and are not quite beat off 
 from him ; and there is a secret trust, 
 that he has some gracious respect to them ; 
 
134 SUPPLICATION IN 
 
 and by this they are encouraged still to 
 persist in prayer. 
 
 Uses. Of exhortation. Prize and value 
 the spirit of prayer. As without his help 
 you cannot pray to any purpose ; so he 
 can make prayer mightily prevailing. 
 The Spirit will create an holy boldness in 
 your access to the throne of grace ; he will 
 enlarge your hearts in this duty ; which 
 enlargements are not without sweetness 
 and great satisfaction. The Spirit will 
 draw up and indite such petitions for you, 
 as will not be denied, and give some 
 encouraging intimation of your being ac- 
 cepted, and answered in the Beloved. 
 
 Now, if you would have the spirit of 
 prayer, follow these directions. 
 
 1 . Rest not in the bare gift of prayer ; 
 let it not satisfy you that you have a pray- 
 ing tongue, and no more : All your sup- 
 plications are but a flattering the Lord 
 
THE SPIRIT. 135 
 
 with your lips, and a lying unto him with 
 your tongues, while your hearts are not 
 right with him. 
 
 2. Be sensible of your need of the Spirit. 
 Light and liberty, life and liveliness, are 
 the effects of the Spirit ; good motions, 
 holy affections, are his offspring. Without 
 him, you will be like Pharaoh's chariots 
 when the wheels were taken off, and drive 
 on heavily; but he can make your souls 
 like the chariots of Amminadab. 
 
 3. Part with every thing that grieves 
 the Spirit. Foster not any lust or inordi- 
 nate affection, that may render your hearts 
 an unpleasant habitation to him. 
 
 4. Frequently beg for the Spirit, and 
 especially in secret. Tliis will be a sign 
 that you indeed desire him. Plead the 
 promises which you find, Luke xi. 13. 
 " If ye, then, being evil, know how to 
 give good gifts to your children, how much 
 more shall your heavenly Father give the 
 
136 WATCH IN PRAYER. 
 
 Holy Spirit unto them that ask him?" 
 And what God has promised, Christ died 
 that he might purchase ; nay, Christ has 
 prayed that the Spirit might be bestowed; 
 and therefore you may pray with the 
 greater encouragement and assurance- 
 Thus concerning the third doctrine. 
 
 In prayer, watching is a necessary in- 
 gredient. Watching is a duty which the 
 great Prophet Christ himself frequently 
 pressed ; and the injunction is . general, 
 " What I say unto you, I say unto all, 
 Watch," Mark xiii. 37. He knew that a 
 spiritual lethargy is a disease most inci- 
 dent. But if at any time, surely in holy 
 duties this heedlessness and sleepiness, 
 does discover itself; we had need there- 
 fore to rouse up our spirits, that are so 
 sluggish naturally. Deborah speaks to 
 herself four times : " Awake, awake ; 
 Deborah awake, awake ; utter a song," 
 
WATCH IN PRAYER. 137 
 
 Judges V. 12. We have need thus again 
 and again to call upon our souls to awake 
 and be watchful, when about to utter a 
 prayer. Watching and prayer are joined 
 in Scripture : and not only so, but watch- 
 ing is required in prayer ; Col. iv. 2. 
 " Continue in prayer, and watch in the 
 same with thanksgiving." So 1 Pet. iv. 7. 
 " But the end of all things is at hand, 
 be ye therefore sober, and watch unto 
 prayer." 
 
 In the handling of this doctrine, I shall, 
 1st, show what we are to watch against in 
 prayer. 2dly, What we are to watch over. 
 3dly, What we are to watch for. 4thly, 
 What manner of watching is required in 
 prayer. 5thly, Give the reason why 
 watching is so necessary. Lastly, make 
 application. 
 
 In the first place, I am to tell you, what 
 we are to watch against in prayer. 
 
138 WATCH IN PRAYER. 
 
 1. We must watch against indwelling 
 corruption. There is a law in our members 
 that wars against the law of our minds ; 
 and the law in our members commands 
 quite contrary to the law of God. This 
 law says, pray not at all ; but especially 
 forbids seriousness and fervency in prayer; 
 and if not watchful, this law will sway and 
 over-rule us, and bring us into captivity to 
 the law of sin. We had need look to our- 
 selves, for when we have thought of doing 
 good, " evil will be present with us.'' 
 And if care be not taken,' the evil will 
 hinder our doing of the good. O how 
 deep is tlie corruption of our nature ! 
 How desperately wicked is the heart of 
 man ! How great are the remainders of 
 sin, in those that are most renewed ! And 
 since the remaining flesh still does lust 
 against the Spirit, this flesh is to be nar- 
 rowly eyed, that it may be weakened 
 
WATCH iN PKAYER. 139 
 
 and checked, else it will spoil all our 
 services. 
 
 2. When praying, we must watch against 
 the evil one. Satan likes not to see us at 
 the throne of grace, because lie knows and 
 has felt the sufficiency of that grace, that 
 believers obtain there. " I besought the 
 Lord," says the apostle, " when buffetted 
 by the messenger of Satan," 2 Cor. xii. 8.; 
 and the power of Christ so rested upon 
 him, that Satan had no power, unless it 
 were full sore against his will, to keep 
 him humble, and to hinder his being ex- 
 alted above measure. The devil therefore, 
 with might and main, withstands us in 
 prayer ; and how many are his wiles, that 
 he may keep us ofl' from this most advan- 
 tageous duty ! Sometimes he objects the 
 difficulty of prayer; sometimes he says, it 
 is needless to spend so much time therein ; 
 sometimes, it is fruitless, and that little 
 comes of all our cries and tears ; sometimes 
 
140 WATCH IN PRAYER. 
 
 he proposes other business to be done, that 
 we may be diverted from engaging with 
 that fervour and devotedness we ought to 
 feel in this duty. How busy our adver- 
 sary the devil is, we should be acquainted 
 with, and watch against his wiles ; and 
 do our duty without crediting or regarding 
 his instigations. 
 
 3. When praying, we must watch 
 against the cares of this world Our 
 Lord cahtions against over-solicitousness 
 about " what we shall eat, what we shall 
 drink, wherewithal we shall be clothed ;" 
 as that which would hinder us from seek- 
 ing the kingdom of God, and his righte- 
 ousness, Mat. vi. 32, 33. Earthly care 
 will allow but little or no time to prayer, 
 and does very much distract the heart in 
 that duty. Worldly projects make bold 
 to come into the thoughts; and secular 
 business and employments are minded? 
 even then when the Lord seems to be 
 
WATCH IN PRAYER. 141 
 
 worshipped. Surely it is our wisdom to 
 take heed to the apostle, Phil. iv. 6. " Be 
 careful for nothing, but in every thing by 
 prayer and supplication with thanksgiv- 
 ing, let your requests be made known 
 unto God." Prayer is an antidote against 
 this care, as this care is an impediment 
 unto prayer. 
 
 4. When praying, we must watch 
 against the pleasures of this life. There 
 is a strange proneness to those pleasures 
 wherewith the senses are gratified, to be- 
 witch the heart ; and if these are loved 
 and admired, prayer will be irksome and 
 unpleasant, and we shall easily be drawn 
 wholly to neglect that which we do not at 
 all like. She that continued in prayer 
 and supplication was not one that lived 
 in pleasure, 1 Tim. v. 5, 6. Watch 
 against pleasures, which are but for a 
 season, and when ended, torments follow 
 that will never end. We read of that 
 
142 WATCH IN PRAYER. 
 
 rich man in the gospel, that was clothed 
 in purple and fine linen, and fared sump- 
 tuously and deliciously every day ; we 
 read, I say, that he feasted, but not that 
 he prayed, till he was in the place of tor- 
 ment. Pleasure before hindered prayer ; 
 torment forced him to pray ; but, alas ! it 
 was then too late. Despise sensual plea- 
 sures, and when they are presented to 
 entice thee, scorn them. In the Lord, 
 and in prayer, infinitely truer and more 
 solid delight is to be found. 
 
 5. When praying, we must watch 
 against deceitful riches. Christ says we 
 cannot serve God and mammon. If the 
 love of money be the root of evil, as the 
 apostle affirms, then it must needs be an 
 hindrance to duty. Moses had low 
 thoughts of the treasures of Egypt ; nay, 
 looked upon the very reproach of Christ 
 as greater riches. Heb. xi. If any are 
 deceived by such treasure, and grow eager 
 
WATCH IN PRAYER. 143 
 
 after it, it will certainly hinder them from 
 seeking him that is invisible, especially 
 from diUgently seeking him. One great 
 reason why many pray so seldom and so 
 coldly, is worldly-mindedness ; they are 
 altogether for growing rich in the world, 
 so their desires are small of growing rich 
 towards God. Luther was a man much 
 and mighty in prayer; he spent three 
 hours a-day constantly herein; but he 
 was also eminent for his contempt of 
 riclies. And therefore, when one said, 
 why don't you stop Luther's mouth against 
 the pope, by some preferment? it was 
 answered, Tliat German beast — (he should 
 have said, that German saint) — does not 
 care for silver. 
 
 6. When praying, we must watch 
 against the sins that do most easily beset 
 us. The sin of our constitution, the sin 
 of our calling, the sin which has naturally 
 the greatest interest in our love, is the 
 
144 WATCH IN PRAYER. 
 
 arch-rebel against God, and our chief 
 enemy; and upon the least unwatchful- 
 ness, this sin will prevail ; and upon its 
 prevailing, backwardness to prayer, and 
 deadness in it, will be the consequence. 
 But not only the sin that doth so easily 
 beset us, but every weight must be laid 
 aside, if we would, with freedom, con- 
 verse with God in prayer. Every iniquity 
 allowed of, defiles the soul, and separates 
 between the Lord and us, and unfits for 
 communion with him ; therefore we must 
 watch and strive against all sin without 
 exception. 
 
 In the second place, I am to inform 
 you, what in prayer we are to watch over. 
 
 1 . In prayer we are to watch over our 
 thoughts. — It is a proverb, but none of 
 Solomon's, nor a wise one, that ' thoughts 
 are free.' God sees the thoughts, and 
 the wicked must forsake not his way only, 
 
WATCH IN PllAYER. 145 
 
 but " his thoughts, if he will return to 
 the Lord, and partake of mercy," Isa. Iv. 
 7. If thoughts are not watched over, 
 there may be "- so many thoughts so many 
 sins,'' and guilt thereby vastly increased. 
 Thoughts are very quick and tleet things, 
 and great is the natural vanity, imperti- 
 nence, and confusedness and sinfulness of 
 them. If there be no eye to them, nay, 
 if the eye be not very careful, prayer may 
 be made, and God prayed to, and not 
 thought on all the while. Right prayer is 
 hard labour, and the labour lies very 
 much about the thoughts, in fixing them 
 upon God, in keeping out vain imagina- 
 tions, and expelling them as soon as 
 notice is taken of their intrusion. 
 
 2. In prayer, we are to watch over our 
 reasoning faculty. — There are certain rea- 
 sonings which the apostle calls " high 
 things, that exalt themselves against the 
 knowledge of God," which must be 
 L 
 
146 WATCH IN PRAYER. 
 
 brought into captivity, 2 Cor. x. 5. We 
 must not be peremptory in arguing and 
 determining that this, and that, and the 
 other thing is good for us, but refer our- 
 selves to his wisdom and good pleasure, 
 who does all things for his people both 
 well and wisely. And as we must not 
 lean to our own understandings, in judg- 
 ing what temporal mercies are most con- 
 venient; so neither are we to grow so 
 bold and presumptuous as to reason 
 against any of the attributes or promises 
 of God, nor any part of his will which he 
 has revealed. 
 
 The Lord has proclaimed himself gra- 
 cious to his people, terrible to his enemies; 
 we must pray on, and believe this, though 
 enemies are high, and his church never so 
 much oppressed. Though providences do 
 seem never so much to thwart God's pro- 
 mises, yet we must believe that God is 
 faithful in his promises, and pray, and 
 
WATCH IN PRAYER. 147 
 
 wait for their accomplishment. Finally, 
 we must not reason against any pait of 
 his will ; but though his commands are 
 never so strictly holy, we must approve of 
 them, and beg grace to keep them. 
 
 3. In prayer we are to watch over our 
 hearts. — " Keep ;^thy heart with all dili- 
 gence/' Prov. iv. 23. Heed must be 
 taken that there be no jarring between our 
 wills and the will of God ; for his will is 
 holy, just, and good ; ours therefore should 
 always comply with his. As the echo 
 answers and returns the voice, so should 
 our will's complying, answer God's will 
 commanding. This you may observe in 
 David, a man after God's own heart. 
 The Lord says, " Seek ye my face;" 
 David's heart echoes back, " Thy face, 
 Lord, will I seek;" so Psalm cxix. 4. 5. 
 the Lord " commands to keep his pre- 
 cepts diligently ;" David's echo is, " O 
 that my ways were directed, that I might 
 L 2 
 
148 WATCH IN PRAYER. 
 
 keep thy statutes ! " We must see to pur 
 hearts in prayer, that they be sincere in 
 hating what the Lord abhors, and in 
 choosing what he offers in the gospel, and 
 also promises to bestow. 
 
 4. In prayer we are to watch over our 
 consciences, that they perform their offices 
 faithfully. — Their office is to observe and 
 condemn every miscarriage, to urge unto 
 a more spiritual manner of praying, and 
 to be restless and unquiet, if prayer be 
 omitted upon any slight pretence, or " the 
 male in the flock be not offered to the 
 Lord, but a corrupt thing." A tender 
 conscience is a blessing that can never be 
 sufficiently valued; this will cause the 
 best to be given unto God ; this will not 
 be satisfied till God approves and com- 
 mends ; and what a heaven follows upon 
 prayer, when the Lord himself and his 
 officer, conscience, are both pleased ! But 
 if we grow unwatchful over oui- consci- 
 
WATCH IN PRAYER. 149 
 
 ences, and suffer them to fall asleep, and 
 become seared, a thousand faults in 
 prayer will be winked at, nay, we shall be 
 iDut little reproached for the total omission 
 of it. 
 
 5. In prayer we are to watch over our 
 affections. — ^The more of affection in 
 prayer, the more pleasing the duty will be 
 to God, and the more pleasant to him 
 that performs it. There is enough in the 
 Lord to draw forth the very strength of 
 our affections. How great is his good- 
 ness ! how able and powerful is his hand 
 to save ! how unsearchable are the riches 
 of his grace ! " Eye has not seen, ear has 
 not heard, neither has it entered into the 
 heart of man, what he has prepared for 
 those that wait upon him," Isa. Ixiv. 4. 
 We are inexcusable if all this move not 
 our affections. We should watch and 
 observe when our affections do but begin 
 to incline towards former lovers, and then 
 
150 WATCH IN PRAYER. 
 
 compare those lovers and the Lord toge- 
 ther, that other things may be contemned, 
 and our souls may even break for longing 
 after God. 
 
 6. In prayer we are to watch over our 
 outward man. — Our tongues and senses 
 must be looked to ; our tongues must 
 speak reverently, considering God is in 
 heaven and we upon earth, Eccles. v. 2. ; 
 and we must have warrant from God's 
 own word for the words we utter before 
 him. Our senses must be guarded, else 
 at the ear, or eye, especially something or 
 other may enter that may disturb prayer, 
 and hinder it from being so fervent and 
 effectual. 
 
 You see what we must watch over. 
 
 In the third place, I am to show what 
 we must watch for in prayer. 
 
 1. We must watch for fit seasons to 
 pray. — ^There are some times and seasons 
 
WATCH IN PRAYER. 151 
 
 in which God is nearer than at others, 
 and more ready to be found of them that 
 seek him ; this the prophet intimates, 
 " seek ye the Lord, while he may be 
 found ; call ye upon him, while he is 
 near," Those seasons of grace and love 
 are carefully to be observed and improved 
 to the uttermost. When the Lord came 
 so near to Jacob as to suffer him to take 
 hold of him, that was a special season ; 
 and Jacob was sensible of it, aiid wrestled 
 long, and with an holy vigour ; he kept 
 his hold, and would not let go till he had 
 got the blessing, Gen. xxxii. 29. That 
 also was a special opportunity, when the 
 " Lord spake unto Moses, face to face, as 
 a man speaketh to his fiiend,'' Exodus 
 xxxiii. 11. Moses improved this, and 
 begged for the Lord's presence with him, 
 and with the people of Israel ; and having 
 prevailed for this, he adds farther, " Lord, 
 I beseech thee, show me thy glory," v, 18. 
 
152 WATCH IN PRAYER. 
 
 Hereupon the Lord made his goodness 
 to pass before him, and proclaimed, " The 
 Lord God, merciful and gracious, long 
 suffering, abundant in goodness and in 
 trutli, keeping mercy for thousands, for- 
 giving iniquity, transgression, and sin." 
 
 2. We must watch for admonitions 
 from conscience unto prayer. — When 
 conscience says, * Thou hast not yet 
 prayed in secret ;' then go and pour out 
 thy heart before him that sees in secret. 
 Thou hast not yet prayed in thy family ;, 
 call all of thy household together, and 
 join in begging that the Lord would have 
 mercy upon all. Conscience is by no 
 means to be disregarded, but its admoni- 
 tions should be taken. 
 
 The authority which the Lord allows to 
 conscience is great, and its office is of a 
 large extent. Conscience is a witness, 
 and a judge, and a monitor. As a witness 
 it takes notice of the evil which we do, 
 
WATCH IN PRAYER. 153 
 
 of the good which we refuse to do, and 
 likewise observes when we are careful 
 of our duty. As a judge, it acquits or 
 condemns, according as we have been 
 either good or faithful, or evil and sloth- 
 ful servants. As a monitor, it tells us 
 before-hand of our duty, and as we would 
 avoid its accusations and reproaches, we 
 should not venture upon any sin which it 
 cries out against, nor neglect prayer, or 
 any other duty which it charges us to per- 
 form, as we will answer it before God. 
 
 3. We must watch for the motions of 
 the Spirit unto prayer. — When the Holy 
 Ghost moves to this duty, and his motions 
 are heeded and obeyed, we are to conclude, 
 that the same Spirit which moves to prayer, 
 will assist in prayer. It is a wonderful 
 privilege that the Spirit is sent unto the 
 churches, and is speaking and striving for 
 their good. Every one, "should have an 
 ear to hear what the Spirit says," Rev. iii. 
 
154 WATCH IN PRAYER. 
 
 When the Spirit speaks concerning sin, 
 * this is not the way,' therefore avoid it : 
 ' Oh do not this abominable thing which 
 God hates ;' we must by no means con- 
 sent to evil. When the Spirit says con- 
 cerning duty, " This is the way, walk in 
 it," Isa, XXX. 31. we must by all means 
 yield unto that which is good. If the 
 Lord by his Spirit says, " Seek my face," 
 with the greatest eagerness we should 
 reply, " Tliy face. Lord, will we seek," 
 and he will not then hide his face from 
 us, nor put his servants away in anger. 
 
 The motions of the Spirit unto prayer 
 are twofold — ordinary, extraordinary. 
 
 There are more ordinary motions unto 
 prayer. — It is the mind and will of the 
 Spirit, that our usual times for prayer 
 of all sorts should be observed ; and 
 though deadness and indisposition be 
 never so great, and our hearts draw back 
 from the throne of grace, yet we must go 
 
WATCH IN PRAYER. 155 
 
 thither. Experience teaches that where 
 deadness at the beginning of prayer has 
 seemed invincible, yet on a sudden it has 
 been removed, and the duty has been car- 
 ried on and concluded by more than or- 
 dinary enlargements. The Israelites were 
 commanded to go forward, when they 
 came to the Red Sea ; they might have 
 answered, What ! would you have us 
 march in the water, and be drowned ? 
 Well, but forward they go, and the water 
 is dried up before them, Exod. xiv. So 
 truly, many times, when about to pray, 
 there is great listlessness and many dis- 
 couragements ; yet we must go forward, 
 and engage in our duty, and the sea is 
 dried up before us ; these discouragements 
 are removed. 
 
 There are more extraordinary motions 
 of the Spirit unto prayer. — Upon some 
 remarkable providence, either cross or 
 kindness ; upon the hearing of some more 
 
156 WATCH IN PRAYER. 
 
 than ordinary affecting truths ; upon some 
 special manifestations by way of quicken- 
 ing and peace; the Spirit may move tmto 
 more than ordinary plying of this work of 
 prayer. And the iron is by all means to 
 be struck while it is thus hot. An extra- 
 ordinary motion of the Spirit raised David 
 out of his bed at madnight : " At midnight 
 I will arise to give thanks unto thee, be- 
 cause of thy righteous judgments/' Psalm 
 cxix. 62. So we read also, Acts xvi. 25. 
 that at midnight Paul and Silas prayed 
 and sang praises unto God, and the pri- 
 soners heard them. Here let it be observed, 
 that when the Spirit of God thus extraor- 
 dinarily moves to pray, he sweetly and 
 strongly inclines the heart to comply with 
 his motion ; there is a quickening heat 
 goes along with his persuasions to engage 
 in this duty. 
 
 4. We must watch for all manner of 
 encouragements in prayer. — And truly the 
 
WATCH IN PRAYER. 157 
 
 Lord is not backward to give, if we are 
 heedful and forward to take encourage- 
 ment. The Lord encourages to prayer 
 various ways. 
 
 By making us sensible what a privilege 
 access to the mercy-seat is. — He causes 
 us to be satisfied and delighted in his 
 presence ; and our hearts cry out, Oh 
 how good is it for us to be here ! " This 
 is none other than the throne of grace, 
 and this is indeed the gate of heaven. It 
 is good for me to draw nigh unto God," 
 says holy David. Psalm Ixxiii. 
 
 The Lord encourages to prayer, by 
 melting of the heart for sin ; he thaws the 
 ice by the beams of his love. Sense of 
 unkindness, and unsuitable carriage to- 
 wards the Father of mercies, causes plenty 
 of godly sorrow, and the heart hereby is 
 exceedingly alienated from its iniquity. 
 
 Tlie Lord encourages to prayer by en- 
 larging the desires after himself, making 
 
158 WATCH IN PRAYER. 
 
 the soul enamoured of him, and altogether 
 unsatisfied till it taste and see his good- 
 ness. 
 
 By intimations of audience. — ^The Lord 
 said unto Daniel at the close of his 
 prayer, " O man, greatly beloved," Dan. 
 ix. 23. Christ answers the woman of 
 Canaan, " Great is thy faith ; be it unto 
 thee even as thou wilt," Matt. xv. 28. 
 When God, after we have been earnest 
 for pardon, for sanctification, for grace to 
 honour and to please him, causes a peace 
 and calmness in our spirits, and we have 
 a hint, that our petitions are according to 
 his will, and will be granted ; here is great 
 encouragement in prayer. Now such 
 encouragements should be watched for, 
 and laid hold on with the greatest thank- 
 fulness. 
 
 5. We must watch for the returns of 
 prayer. The Psalmist had been praying, 
 and he resolves he would hearken "what 
 
WATCH IN PRAYER. 159 
 
 God the Lord would speak," that is, by- 
 way of answer, Psalm Ixxxv. 8. In like 
 manner the church, concluding that the 
 Lord would at last hear, resolves to wait 
 for him ; " Therefore will I look unto the 
 Lord, I will wait for the God of my salva- 
 tion ; my God will hear me," Micah vii. 
 7. If you watch not for returns of prayer, 
 you do not consider wliat you do, or with 
 whom you have to do in prayer. When 
 you pray, you take the name of God into 
 your mouths ; and shall that be taken in 
 vain ? When you pray you engage in an 
 ordinance of God, and shall that be used 
 in vain? What! do ye imagine that 
 God's hand is shortened, or his ears heavy, 
 and his bowels straitened ? Not looking 
 after your prayer, dishonours him more 
 than you are aware of. He speaks to you, 
 and does for you in vain. And this is the 
 ready course to provoke him to keep si- 
 lence, and to shut his hand : You are 
 
160 WATCH IN PRAYER. 
 
 therefore, with the prophet, to stand upon 
 your watch-tower, and to observe what 
 God says to you, Hab. ii. 1. 
 
 Here pne grand case of conscience is to 
 be proposed and resolved ; How we shall 
 know whether prayer be answered, Yea or 
 No ; and the blessings we have begged, 
 given as a return to our requesting them ? 
 
 I answer, that blessings are of two 
 sorts — those that are peculiar to saints, 
 those that are common to the ungodly. 
 
 1 . There are blessings that are peculiar 
 to the saints ; such as the sense of God's 
 love, strength ^against corruption, righte- 
 ousness and true holiness, peace of con- 
 science, power to run in the ways of God's 
 commands without weariness, and to walk 
 without fainting. If such blessings as 
 these are prized, and earnestly desired in 
 prayer, and after prayer are bestowed, 
 they may be concluded " the fruit of sup- 
 plication." " In the day when I cried 
 
WATCH IN PRAYER. 161 
 
 thou answeredst me/' says David, " and 
 strengthenedst me with strength in my 
 soul," Psalm cxxxviii. 3. He prayed for 
 grace and spiritual strength, and had it, 
 and concludes his prayer was answered. 
 It is only the children of God who long 
 and beg for such blessings ; and if the 
 Lord's hand be open, and gives the bless- 
 ings begged, we may also conclude that 
 his ear was open to the begging. 
 
 2. There are blessings that are common 
 to the ungodly ; as health, food, raiment, 
 relations, prosperity, removing of afflic- 
 tions ; and mercies of the like nature. 
 It is more difficult to know when these 
 are given or continued as a return to 
 prayer ; but yet this may be known in 
 these particulars — 
 
 1. Temporal blessings are the frait of 
 prayer, when they were begged not only 
 of God, but for God, that they might be 
 M 
 
162 WATCH IN PRAYER. 
 
 employed in his service and to his praise. 
 Joshua begged for victoiy over the Ca- 
 naanites, but he had an eye to God's great 
 name, which he knew would be disho- 
 noured if Israel were overthrown. Josh, 
 vii. 9. When we desire some estate that 
 we may do good with it, and honour the 
 Lord with our substance ; when we de- 
 sire health and strength that we may be 
 the more useful, and serve our generation 
 according to the will of God, and what we 
 desired is bestowed, surely prayer is heard. 
 2. Temporal blessings are the fruit of 
 prayer, when they are begged with an 
 humble and holy submission, and not 
 asked as the principal things. When we 
 pray for daily bread, and the meat that 
 perishes, in such a measure as the Lord 
 sees most meet to deal forth to us ; but 
 our greatest hunger and thirst is after 
 higher things, even that meat which en- 
 
WATCH IN PRAYER. 163 
 
 dures to everlasting life, and the waters of 
 that fountain that is always flowing, and 
 yet ever full. 
 
 3. Temporal blessings are obtained by 
 prayer, when they prove as cords to draw 
 the heart nearer to God, and effectually 
 engage unto obedience. David was 
 brought very low, the sorrows of death 
 compassed him ; he calls upon the name 
 of the Lord for deliverance, (Psalm cxvi. 
 3, 4.) ; well, deliverance is granted, and 
 what effect had it ? It makes him admire 
 divine mercy, it strengthens his faith, it 
 makes him cry out, " Truly I am thy 
 servant," and resolve to " walk before 
 God in the land of the living." Surely 
 this deliverance came by prayer ; and so 
 himself was persuaded, (verse 1,2.) "I 
 love the Lord, because he hath heard my 
 voice and supplication, because he hath 
 inclined his ear to me ; therefore will I 
 call upon him as long as I live." 
 M 2 
 
164 WATCH IN PRAYER. 
 
 I have showed you what we are to 
 watch for in prayer. 
 
 In tYie fourth place, I am to show what 
 manner of watching is required. 
 
 1 . Our watch must be very strict ; and 
 this strictness will be acknowledged rea- 
 sonable, if we consider that prayer is a 
 business of weight. Life or death, bless- 
 ing or cursing, will follow according as 
 we speed well or ill in prayer. When we 
 come to the throne of grace, we entreat 
 for no less than the forgiveness of millions 
 of offences; the least of which, if unpar- 
 doned, is sufficient to expose us to eternal 
 condemnation : we entreat for "no less 
 than grace and glory ; we deprecate no 
 less than the anger of the Almighty, and 
 everlasting torments. Surely we should 
 be watchful and full of care by all means, 
 to speed in a duty of such vast concern- 
 ment. 
 
WATCH IN PRAYER. 165 
 
 2. Our watch must be continued — it 
 must be before, and in, and after prayer, 
 and all little enough. 
 
 We must watch before prayer, that 
 every thing may be avoided and removed, 
 that may hinder the heart from preparing 
 to have to do with God : it is not easy to 
 enter rightly upon this duty. 
 
 We must watch in prayer. Prayer 
 is expressed in Scripture by the metaphor 
 of wrestling. If the wrestler watch not, 
 he prevails not, but is easily foiled. If 
 we are not very vigilant all the while we 
 are praying, God, whom we wrestle with, 
 will withdraw, and we shall miss of the 
 blessing ; and Satan that wrestles against 
 us, will presently overcome us. 
 
 We must watch after prayer. We 
 must trace our hearts,, and mark how they 
 have behaved themselves ; we must ob- 
 serve and bemoan our failings, and be 
 thankful for assisting grace. We must be 
 
166 WATCH IN PRAYER. 
 
 the same upon our legs that we were upon 
 our knees, and live according to our 
 prayers. 
 
 In the fifth place, follow the reasons 
 why watching is so necessary in prayer. 
 
 1 . God watches how this duty is per- 
 formed, and has denounced a curse on 
 those that do the work of the Lord negli- 
 gently. He narrowly observes where the 
 thoughts are, and how much of the heart 
 and affection is in every prayer. Hearken 
 to the apostle, " neither is there any crea- 
 ture that is not manifest in his sight, but 
 all things" (even the thoughts and intents 
 of the heart, whereof he hath spoken in 
 the foregoing verse) " are naked and open 
 unto the eyes of him with whom we have 
 to do." Heb. iv. 1 3. 
 
 2. Satan watches. In a time of war 
 there is the stricter watch : now our life is 
 a warfare, therefore we should be ever 
 
WATCH IN PRAYER. 167 
 
 vigilant ; " our adversary the devil goes 
 about/' (1 Peter v. 8.) endeavouring to 
 do all the mischief, and to hinder all the 
 good he possibly can. Satan is very busy 
 about us in prayer, and if our unwatch- 
 fulness gives him but the least encourage- 
 ment and advantage, he presently spies 
 and takes it. 
 
 3. Unless we watch, our hearts will 
 deal treacherously. They will start aside 
 from God like deceitful bows, and the 
 arrow of prayer will be far from hitting 
 the mark ; but our supplications will de- 
 generate into mere formality j whereas, 
 if we are intent and serious, and do mind 
 our business while we are at prayer, we 
 shall undoubtedly make something of it. 
 I come at last to the application. 
 
 Use first is, of Reproof. Two sorts of 
 persons deserve, and highly need, as well 
 as deserve, a reprehension. 
 
168 WATCH IN PRAYER. 
 
 1 . The careless hypocrite is to be re- 
 proved. The Scripture, which has this 
 pre-eminence above all other laws, that 
 it binds the very heart and conscience, 
 does speak very terribly against hypocrisy, 
 which is the heart's dissimulation and 
 going away from God, even when the 
 external part of devotion is yielded to 
 him. The folly of the praying hypocrite 
 will appear in these things. — 
 
 His conscience is fast asleep in 
 prayer, and lets hira do even what he 
 pleases; but this sleeping lion will at 
 length awake ; at farthest, hell will awaken 
 his conscience, and then it will bitterly 
 reproach him, and never cease reproach- 
 ing. 
 
 The hypocrite regards not the God he 
 is praying to. He is not awed by the Lord's 
 majesty, nor affected with his mercy; 
 neither is he afraid of provoking him to 
 jealousy, but presumes upon God, as if 
 
WATCH IN PRAYER. 169 
 
 he were altogether such an one as him- 
 self; " these things hast thou done, and 
 I kept silence; and thou thoughtest I was 
 altogether such an one as thyself : but I 
 will reprove thee, and set them in order 
 before thine eyes. Now consider this, ye 
 that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, 
 and tliere be none to deliver," Psalm 1. 
 21, 22. 
 
 The hypocrite regards not the things 
 he is praying for, nor himself that is con- 
 cerned in prayer. He is not concerned ' 
 for his soul, which is most truly himself; 
 and though he prays for the favour of 
 God, for the kingdom of God, and de- 
 liverance from everlasting fire prepared 
 for the devil and his angels ; yet he is so 
 cold and heedless, as if he were indifferent 
 whether lieaven or hell were his eternal 
 abode. 
 
 2. The drowsy and declining saints are 
 also to be reproved. These having been 
 
170 WATCH IN PRAYER. 
 
 once so thoroughly awakened, are more 
 without apology, if they grow again un- 
 watchful. 
 
 The prayers of unv/atchful saints 
 have very bad mixtures. Oh the forget- 
 fulness, and fearlessness, and weariness, 
 and mocking of the Lord, that believers 
 under their declinings are to be charged 
 with ! How near do they come to the 
 borders of unregeneracy ! how like are 
 they to the unsound-hearted ! 
 
 The prayers of unwatchful saints are 
 very unprofitable. Children they are, but 
 alas ! they improve not their relation, nor 
 make serious application to their Father, 
 The Spirit is in them, but they accept not 
 of his strength and grace. Prayer is not 
 totally laid aside, but little comes of it, 
 because they do not vigorously engage 
 in it. 
 
 The prayers of unwatchful saints are 
 uncomfortable. The Spirit is grieved by 
 
WATCH IN PRAYER. 171 
 
 their carelessness, and how can it be ex- 
 pected he should be a comforter to them ? 
 Conscience is dissatisfied, and is con- 
 tinually grudging, because they do not stir 
 up themselves to lay hold on God, when 
 they call upon him, Isa. Ixiv. 7. Much 
 fear, much bondage, many secret gripes 
 of spirit follow upon careless praying. 
 
 The prayers of unwatchful saints are 
 so offensive, that they may justly fear 
 some stroke from God, some smarting rod 
 to awaken the spirit of prayer in them. 
 " I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and 
 as a young lion to the house of Judah. I, 
 even I, will tear and go away : I will take 
 away, and none shall rescue him," Hos. 
 V. 14. Now what was the reason of this 
 severity ? It follows, verse 15, " In their 
 affliction they will seek me early." He 
 thrust the spur into their side, and made 
 them bleed, to make them mend their 
 sluggish pace in duty ; he chastened them 
 
172 WATCH IN PRAYEK. 
 
 that he might hear louder cries, and have 
 more serious prayers from them. 
 
 Use. 2. Shall be of Exhortation. Be 
 persuaded to watch in prayer. Those that 
 watch not at all, pray not at all in God's 
 account ; those that watch most, make 
 most of prayer. These arguments I shall 
 further use to second this exhortation. 
 
 1 . The more watchful you are in prayer, 
 the better you will understand the devil's 
 enmity. You will perceive his envy and 
 his hatred, and how loath he is that you 
 should receive any distinguishing mercies, 
 especially at the hand of God ; therefore 
 he does so bestir himself, that he may 
 resist you. And the better you know this 
 enemy, the better armed you will be. 
 
 2. The more watchful you are in prayer, 
 the more will you be acquainted with your- 
 selves, and with your own hearts. You 
 will more fully understand your wants, 
 and your spiritual plagues; and the UU' 
 
PERSEVERE IN PRAYER. 173 
 
 derstanding of these is one good step to 
 the supply and cure. 
 
 3. The more watchful you are in prayer, 
 the more experimentally will you under- 
 stand the loving-kindness of the Lord : you 
 will find that he deals bountifully. ^" Re- 
 turn unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord 
 hath dealt bountifully with thee," Psalm 
 cxvi. 7. God is certainly willing to give. 
 They that watch in prayer, take notice 
 vvhat they receive; and great joy it is to 
 behold the prayers which, as messengers 
 we dispatched to heaven, return loaded 
 with mercy. " Ask and you shall re- 
 ceive, that your joy may be full." So 
 much then, for the fourth doctrine. 
 
 We must persevere if we would speed 
 in prayer ; or, prayer must be with all 
 perseverance. The words of the text are 
 not without emphasis ; not only persever- 
 ance, but all perseverance is required by 
 
174 PERSEVERE IN PRAYER. 
 
 the apostle. There should not be the least 
 fainting, but a vigorous persisting in our 
 supplications. Observe hovv^ the apostle 
 speaks in other places ; Col. iv, 2. " Con- 
 tinue in prayer ;" and, Rom. xii. 12. " Re- 
 joicing in hope, patient in tribulation, 
 continuing instant in prayer." 
 
 In speaking to this doctrine, I shall first 
 tell you what it is to persevere in prayer. 
 2dly, What kind of perseverance is re- 
 quired. 3dly, Give you the reasons of 
 this perseverance. Lastly, make appli- 
 cation. 
 
 In the^rs^ place. What it is to persevere 
 in prayer. 
 
 1 . This perseverance in prayer, implies, 
 resolvedness of spirit against all opposi- 
 tion. The resolution is not to be made 
 in our own strength, but in the power of 
 grace, and then it will be firm, and hold. 
 He that perseveres in prayer, resists Satan's 
 endeavours to hinder him in his duty. 
 
PERSEVERE IN FRAYER. 175 
 
 Though this lion roar upon him by fearful 
 blasphemous thoughts ; though this adver- 
 sary buffet him by confused, amazing, and 
 affrighting imaginations ; yet all his skill 
 does not beat him off from prayer; the 
 more busy he finds Satan, the more need 
 he perceives of calling upon God. And 
 as the devil cannot prevail by his more 
 irksome temptation, so as to cause an 
 omission of prayer; in like manner, on 
 the other side, the more pleasing tempta- 
 tions are withstood. When he speaks big 
 words concerning sports and pastimes 
 and pleasures of sense ; when he talks at 
 an high rate of worldly advantages, that 
 are to be pursued, that he may divert and 
 draw away the heart from prayer ; yet he 
 that perseveres in this duty, believes this 
 lying and deceitful spirit in nothing. 
 
 Nay, he retorts upon him, and answers, 
 that therefore he prays, that he may find 
 true joy, and greater sweetness in God 
 
176 PERSEVERE IN PRAYER. 
 
 than the creatures can possibly yield; 
 that therefore he prays, because he has a 
 mind to be rich indeed, and to have a 
 treasure in heaven, where neither moth 
 nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves 
 cannot break through, nor steal. 
 
 And as for that opposition he meets 
 with from within, from the corruption of 
 his heart, which is indeed the greatest ; he 
 bewails it, struggles with it, and cries out 
 for the Spirit of life to quicken and help 
 him. He is convinced of the necessity of 
 prayer, and the excellency of what is 
 prayed for ; and opposition is but a whet 
 to him, that he may stir up himself to lay 
 hold on God. 
 
 2. This perseverance in prayer implies, 
 getting through all discouragements. The 
 more that blind Bartimeus was discouraged 
 by the people, " he cried the louder, Jesus, 
 thou Son of David, have mercy upon 
 me ; " and his cry was heard ; according 
 
PERSEVERE IN PRAYER. 177 
 
 to his desire, he had his sight restored. 
 The woman of Canaan who came to Christ 
 that her daughter might be dispossessed of 
 a devil, met with great discouragements, 
 but overcame them all, Matt. xv. 22—28. 
 When first she uttered her request, " Christ 
 answered her not a word." This one 
 would have thought, might have struck 
 her dumb, and made her conclude it vain 
 to have spoken any more. But, no; still 
 she cried after him ; whereupon the dis- 
 ciples intercede for her. Christ answers, 
 he " was sent to the lost sheep of the 
 house of Israel." Here was a second re- 
 pulse ; but neither did this discourage. 
 She comes and worships him, and says, 
 " Lord, help me ! " Christ says, " It is 
 not meet to cast the children's bread unto 
 the dogs," This was a third repulse, and 
 worst of all ; and yet she gives not over, 
 but pleads, that though she were indeed 
 no better than a dog, yet crumbs might 
 
178 PERSEVERE IN PRAYER. 
 
 be given her. And now she succeeds; 
 and whatever she had a mind to was 
 granted. 
 
 He that perseveres in prayer will not be 
 discouraged. Is his guilt great? he re- 
 plies, that the Lord's mercy will be the 
 more magnified, if he obtain a pardon. 
 Is he much distempered ? he replies, the 
 more will the skill of the great Physician 
 be shown in healing his spiritual diseases. 
 Is he very unworthy ? he replies, that 
 the prodigal upon his returning, found 
 his father's doors, and his father's arms 
 open, though he came home in rags ; 
 having before wasted all his substance 
 among the harlots, and in riotous living. 
 Though he is wretched, and miserable, 
 and poor, and blind, and naked ; yet he 
 says, that Christ has eye-salve to make 
 him see, gold tried in the fire to make him 
 rich, and white raiment to cover him, 
 Rev. iii. 17, 18. It is a mercy-seat, it is 
 
PERSEVERE IN PRAYER. 179 
 
 a throne of grace he goes to ; and there- 
 fore discouragements are not invincible. 
 
 3. This perseverance in prayer implies 
 continual importunity. Importunity is 
 many times troublesome to man, but God 
 is delighted with it. Humility, indeed, 
 becomes us in our addresses to him, but 
 yet vs^e are allowed to be urgent, to be in- 
 stant, to be pressing in those things which 
 are according to the will of the Lord, and 
 he loves to see us so ; for it argues we 
 value highly what we beg with importu- 
 nity. The unjust judge was prevailed 
 with by the widow's importunity, and will 
 the Lord neglect importunate prayer, who 
 has commanded and encouraged impor- 
 tunity, and who is so righteous and gra- 
 cious ? He that perseveres in prayer 
 follows the Lord with his request; he 
 will not let him alone till he has a pardon, 
 and that pardon sealed : He will not let 
 him alone till his lusts, which arc the 
 
 N 2 
 
180 PERSEVERE IN PRAYER. 
 
 worst of spiritual enemies, are killed; 
 till more grace is granted, of which he 
 cannot have too great a measure. Take 
 notice of David's importunity, Psalm cxix. 
 145 — 147. " I cried with my whole heart, 
 hear me, O Lord, I will keep thy statutes. 
 I cried unto thee, save me, and I shall 
 keep thy testimonies ; I prevented the 
 dawning of the morning, and cried, I 
 hoped in thy word ; mine eyes prevent the 
 night watches," &c. He cried, and cried, 
 and cried again, before the dawning of the 
 morning, and in the night watches. Be- 
 hold how urgent he was in prayer. 
 
 4. This perseverance in prayer, implies 
 an holy unsatiableness after God ; and 
 desiring still more, though never so much 
 be obtained. Indeed, there is a great 
 obligation upon us to be thankful for the 
 least measures of grace ; but we are not 
 to be contented with the greatest, but still 
 longing for more. Though David enjoyed 
 
PERSEVERE IN PRAYER. 181 
 
 SO much 01 God, and had such a sense of 
 his loving-kindness, which was better than 
 Hfe, and experienced that communion with 
 the Lord, which was more satisfying than 
 marrow and fatness ; yet we find him still 
 following hard after God. " My soul 
 followeth hard after thee, thy right hand 
 upholdeth me," Psalm Ixiii. 8. And in- 
 deed the more we taste and see how gra- 
 cious the Lord is, it cannot but increase 
 our longing, and raise our thirst to a 
 greater vehemency. The apostle Paul, 
 though he had attained to so much, yet he 
 says, " I forget those things that are 
 behind ; and reach forth unto those things 
 that are before, and press towards the 
 mark, for the prize of the high calling of 
 God." Phil. iii. 13, 14. 
 
 5. This perseverance in prayer implies, 
 a continuing to engage in all kinds of 
 prayer. There should be a constant and 
 daily course of prayer, even unto the end 
 
182 PERSEVERE IN PRAYER. 
 
 of life ; and if at any time by weakness 
 or otherwise, the course be necessarily 
 interrupted, our hearts, at least, should 
 then be working towards God, being 
 sensible that he is our all, that all our 
 hope is in him, and that all our help is 
 from him. It is a happy thing so to 
 habituate and accustom ourselves to pray- 
 er, as to make it become natural to us, 
 and to esteem it as necessary as our very 
 breath. 
 
 In the second place, I am to tell you 
 what kind of perseverance is required. 
 
 1 . In this perseverance there should be 
 no interruptions. Daniel, rather than his 
 course of praying before his God and giving 
 thanks should be interrupted, chose to ad- 
 venture the loss of dignity, of his prince's 
 favour, and his own life besides. And 
 that God whom he served continually did 
 deliver him. Daniel resolves to open his 
 mouth in prayer; God sends his angel, 
 
PERSEVERE IN PRAYER. 183 
 
 and stops the mouths of the lions, that 
 they did not hurt him. And as carnal fear 
 should not cause the omission of prayer, 
 so neither should any prevailing corrup- 
 tion and deadness. Still the Lord is to 
 be sought unto, and served. 
 
 2. In this perseverance there should be 
 a continual endeavour to excel, and do 
 better; to pray with more and more 
 spirituality and liveliness. It is a sad 
 sight to see children as weak now, as they 
 were several years ago. We conclude 
 that there is some bad humour that op- 
 presses nature, and causes that weakness, 
 and is an impediment to their growth. It 
 is thus, and more sad to see Christians 
 stand at a stay, and perform duties no 
 better now than some years ago they vised 
 to perform them. If there be still the 
 same deadness, the same unbelief, the 
 same worldly-mindedness and distractions 
 which were wont to be, it argues, the 
 
184 PERSEVERE IN PRAYER. 
 
 spirit is kept under by the flesh and its 
 prevalency. We are not only to do more 
 than others, but to do more than ourselves. 
 The Lord requires us, and truly gives 
 ample encouragement to be not only 
 stedfast and unmoveable, but also " to 
 abound in the work of the Lord." "The 
 path of the just should be like the shining 
 light, that shineth more and more unto 
 the perfect day." Pro v. iv. 18. All 
 our duties are motions homeward, and 
 heaven is our home. And the nearer 
 home, the swifter should our spiritual 
 motions be. 
 
 In the tJiird place, follow the reasons 
 why prayer should be with perseverance. 
 
 1 . Divine commands are very express, 
 not only to perform the duty, but to con- 
 tinue in the duty. In the text, not only 
 praying is enjoined, but praying always, 
 and with all perseverance. And, 1 Tliess. 
 V. 17. " Pray without ceasing." God's 
 
PERSEVERE IN PRAYER. 185 
 
 word of command should cause us per- 
 petually to stand in awe : we must not 
 dare to cease doing that which he would 
 have us without ceasing employed in. 
 
 2. The Lord perseveres in attending 
 and encouraging ; therefore we should 
 persevere in praying. His eye is con- 
 tinually upon his people. Eye, and ear, 
 and heart, and hand are all open ; and if 
 we open our mouths wide, we shall be 
 filled. Psalm Ixxxi. 10. 
 
 3. The Lord is as worthy to be sought 
 unto still, as sought to at all ; therefore 
 we should continue in seeking him. — 
 Though our expectation from other things 
 be never so high, yet upon trial we shall 
 discover their emptiness and vanity ; but 
 the more we know God, and the greater 
 experience we have of him, the more we 
 shall behold his fulness, and how good it 
 is to draw near to him. Israel went astray 
 after other lovers, but found her mistake, 
 
186 PERSEVEEE IN PRAYER. 
 
 and resolves to return to her first husband, 
 for then it was best with her. Hos. ii. 7. 
 God's service is such as no fault at all is 
 really to be found therein ; and therefore 
 to leave that service, is very unreasonable, 
 
 4. We are far from attaining all that is 
 attainable by prayer. Clearer discoveries 
 there may be of God — there may be much 
 larger communications of grace — there 
 may be more of peace and joy ; therefore 
 it concerns us to wait on the Lord still, 
 and not to grow weary of our attending. 
 
 5. This present world is full of enemies 
 and snares ; therefore we should continu- 
 ally have recourse to the God of all grace, 
 that grace may be proportioned to our 
 wqrk, and to our danger. The world is 
 evil; and the evil one is very active to draw 
 us to evil ; and he has a strong and nu- 
 merous party within our own souls, even 
 all the remainders of corruption. Surely 
 unless we persevere in prayer, and thereby 
 
PERSEVERE IN PRAYER. 187 
 
 engage him for us, " who is able to keep 
 us from falling, and to present us faultless 
 before the presence of his glory with ex- 
 ceeding joy," Jude 24. we shall not 
 persevere to the end, and be saved. The 
 application follows. 
 
 Use 1. — Of Reproof, which belongs, 
 1 . To them who pray in a time of dis- 
 tress and affliction ; but after that is re- 
 moved, and their slavish fear allayed, they 
 quickly give over. Thus the children of 
 Israel, " when God slew them, then they 
 sought him ; they returned and inquired 
 early after God, they remembered that 
 God was their Hock, and the high God 
 their Redeemer. But as soon as the Lord 
 ceased smiting, they ceased crying ; they 
 flattered with their tongues, and were 
 unstedfast in his covenant," Psalm Ixxviii. 
 34 — 37. This is the way to have affliction 
 quickly return again, and that with more 
 
188 PERSEVERE IN PRAYER. 
 
 of gall and wormwood ; or to have spi- 
 ritual judgments, which are a great deal 
 worse, succeed temporal ones. 
 
 2. Reproof belongs to them that pray 
 for a little while, while the conviction is 
 fresh and strong ; and the exhortation to 
 this duty is still sounding in their ears. 
 But by degrees the conviction wears off, 
 and the exhortation is forgotten ; and 
 then, Oh, how do their hearts depart from 
 God, and what a task, and tedious thing 
 is prayer to them ! But those foregoing 
 convictions will very much aggravate 
 their after omissions; these omissions 
 having been given way to, especially at 
 first, with much violence offered to their 
 own consciences ; and resisting the Holy 
 Ghost, who strives to make them perse- 
 vere in supplication. 
 
 3. Reproof belongs to apostates, that 
 somewhile made a great profession, and 
 none more forward to pray than they; 
 
PERSEVERE IN PRAYER. 189 
 
 biat who now have thrown off this and 
 other ordinances of Christ, being carried 
 away either by a profane, or by an 
 erroneous spirit. 
 
 Many are carried away by a profane 
 spirit; and having restrained prayer, 
 even restraining grace is taken from them. 
 They run out to all excess of riot ; they 
 are abominably vicious, intemperate, un- 
 clean, unrighteous; they declare to all, 
 that seven unclean spirits are entered into 
 them ; and that their last end is likely to 
 prove worse than their beginning. They 
 once indeed did know the holy command- 
 ment ; but are now turned from it ; and 
 it is happened to them according to the 
 proverb, " The dog is turned to his own 
 vomit again, and the sow that was washed, 
 to her wallowing in the mire," 2 Pet. ii. 
 21, 22. 
 
 Many are carried away from prayer 
 by an erroneous spirit. These not only 
 
190 PERSEVERE IN PRAYER. 
 
 break the Lord's commands, but persuade 
 themselves they do well in it, and endea- 
 vour to draw others to the hke transgres- 
 sion ; and hereby their guilt and danger 
 is the greater. Every one that speaks 
 against prayer, or any other ordinance of 
 Christ, as he strikes at Christ's authority, 
 who is King of the church, so he is de- 
 ceived, and made use of by the devil to 
 injure souls, by drawing them away from 
 God and their duty. But it may be 
 objected, that the apostle himself says. 
 Col. ii. 20. " Why are ye subject to 
 ordinances?'' I answer, the 21st verse 
 following, shows what ordinances the 
 apostle speaks of, viz. the ceremonial 
 ordinances; " Touch not, taste not, 
 handle not." He is not to be understood 
 concerning the ordinances of Christ's in- 
 stitution ; for in this very epistle, he does 
 command that the " Word of God should 
 dwell richly in them ;" and that they sing 
 
PERSEVERE IN PRAYER. 191 
 
 psalms with grace in their hearts to the 
 Lord ; and that they should continue in 
 prayer. 
 
 4. Reproof belongs to them that limit 
 God, and conclude, if they are not heard 
 presently, that they shall never be an- 
 swered ; and so in effect say. Why should 
 we seek the Lord any longer ? Vile and 
 sinful creatures should not be so quick 
 with God. What though we tarry some 
 time before we have the grace and com- 
 fort we beg ; if it comes at last, is not 
 the Lord gracious to a wonder ? Besides, 
 the Lord knows when it is fittest to an- 
 swer prayer ; therefore it becomes us 
 patiently to wait, for his rightly timing of 
 his benefits is not the smallest part of 
 them. 
 
 Use 2. Of Direction ; how you may 
 persevere in prayer. 
 
 1. Be exceeding jealous and afraid 
 whenever you find deadness and formality 
 
192 PERSEVERE IN PRAYER. 
 
 seizing upon you. You know not whe- 
 ther it may grow. The prognostic signs 
 of an approaching distemper easily per- 
 suade you to take preventing medicine. 
 O when you find your hearts out of order, 
 fear, and go to your physician to heal 
 your hearts, and reduce them to the right 
 praying frame. 
 
 2. Take heed of quenching the Spirit. 
 Let your ears be open to hear what he 
 says to the churches, Rev. ii. Deliver up 
 yourselves wholly unto the Spirit's con- 
 duct and guidance ; be led to him, from 
 what ways, and in what ways he pleases, 
 else he will be grieved and withdraw ; 
 and if he does so, alas, your helper will 
 be gone, and your infirmities will hinder 
 your perseverance in prayer ! 
 
 3. Be sensible that all your prayers 
 will be lost, if now you should totally 
 and finally give over. That righteousness 
 will be reckoned as none at all ; that is. 
 
PERSEVERE IN PRAYER. 193 
 
 just like the morning cloud, and as the 
 early dew that vanishes away. Pray on, 
 therefore, that all may not be in vain. 
 
 4. Labour to be acquainted with the 
 sweetness of prayer, that you may have 
 experience of those quickenings, those 
 enlargements, those supports, those ra- 
 vishing delights that the saints have found 
 sometimes in prayer, and then you will 
 like the duty so well, that you will not 
 easily be drawn off from it. 
 
 5. Depend upon him that gives power 
 to the faint, and increases strength in 
 them that have no might. He faints not^ 
 neither is he weary, and he alone can 
 keep you from being weary in well-doing. 
 As he only can help you when you cry, 
 so he alone can help you to hold on in 
 crying. 
 
 6. Cheer up yourselves with this con- 
 sideration, that if you persevere in prayer 
 but a little while longer, in heaven all 
 
194 SUPPLICATION FOR 
 
 your prayers will be fully answered. 
 Remember, that if prayer lasts as long as 
 time lasts, time will quickly be succeeded 
 by eternity, and prayer will end in ever- 
 lasting praises. So much then, for the 
 fifth doctrine. 
 
 The sixth and last doctrine is this — Our 
 spirits must be so public, as to supplicate 
 for all saints as well as for ourselves ; 
 therefore the apostle adds in the text, 
 " and supplication for all saints." 
 
 Here I shall first show what saints the 
 apostle speaks of; and, secondly, why we 
 should pray for them all ; and then give 
 you the uses. 
 
 First, What saints the apostle speaks 
 of. The saints are of two sorts; tri- 
 umphant in heaven — militant on earth. 
 
 1. Triumphant in heaven; and these 
 do not need our prayers. We need not 
 pray that they may be eased of their 
 
ALL SAINTS. 195 
 
 loads, for their burdens are removed, and 
 they are entered into perfect rest. We 
 need not pray that God would manifest 
 himself to them, for they see him as he is, 
 and not as here, in a glass darkly ; nor 
 that they may be freed from sorrow, and 
 defended from enemies, for their joy is 
 fiill, all tears are wiped away, and they 
 are past all danger: "They are made 
 pillars in the heavenly temple, and they 
 shall go no more out," Rev. iii. 12. In 
 all the Bible we find not one petition for 
 departed saints. They are with the 
 Lamb, crowned above, and are above our 
 supplications. 
 
 2. Militant saints on earth; and of 
 these the text speaks, and to these the 
 words are to be confined ; and truly all 
 of them claim a share in our supplica- 
 tions. 
 
 1. Wc arc to pray for saints of all 
 nations. Prayer may reach them, though 
 
196 SUPPLICATION FOR 
 
 never so far; and the God we pray to is 
 acquainted with every saint in particular 
 throughout the universe ; He knows what 
 they all want, and how to supply all their 
 needs. 
 
 2. We are to pray for saints of all per- 
 suasions, as long as they hold the head, 
 and are dear to Christ, notwithstanding 
 their difference from us in opinion. 
 Surely, notwithstanding this difference, 
 they should be upon our hearts to desire 
 their good. Oh that there were less quar- 
 relling and disputation, and more praying 
 and supplication one for another ! and 
 this would be a great means to unite, and 
 to heal our breaches. 
 
 3. We are to pray for saints of all con- 
 ditions, high and low, rich and poor, bond 
 and free, male and female. Every saint 
 is a jewel, and a jewel is not to be con- 
 temned, though it lie upon a dunghill. 
 The meanest saints are precious in the 
 
ALL SAINTS. 197 
 
 Lord's eyes, and we should have regard 
 to them. 
 
 The reasons why our supplications 
 should be for all saints are these : — 
 
 1 . Because of their relation to God. 
 They are all his children, and he has 
 the love of a Father to them ; nay, he is a 
 thousand limes more full of affection than 
 earthly parents can be. If God love them, 
 we should, and show our love by our 
 wishing their good ; especially consider- 
 ing how much the honour of God is con- 
 cerned in them, and how much his name 
 is glorified in their preservation. 
 
 2. Because of their relation to our Lord 
 Jesus. Should not we pray for them, 
 since Christ died for them ? He bought 
 them with the price of his own blood, and 
 they are all espoused to him ; nay, they 
 are his members ; those for whom he ever 
 lives to make intercession. Surely then 
 we also should intercede in their behalf. 
 
198 ALL SA.INTS. 
 
 3. We should pray for all saintS;, be- 
 cause of our relation one to another. We 
 are all begotten by the same seed, we are 
 all members one of another; '^ so we 
 being many, are one body in Christ, and 
 every one members one of another," Rom 
 xii. 5. We are all animated by the same 
 Spirit, one of whose principal fruits is 
 love; and love should be expressed in 
 prayer. Finally, we are all heirs to the 
 same inheritance. Oh how importunate 
 should we be, that we may all come safely 
 thither ! 
 
 4. We should pray for all saints, be- 
 cause all are engaged in the same war, 
 and are wrestling with the same enemies. 
 We should beg, therefore, that all may be 
 kept from the evil of the world ; that Satan 
 may be trod under the feet of all ; that 
 sin may be subdued in all ; and that all 
 may at last be made more than con- 
 querors. 
 
ALL SAINTS. 199 
 
 5. All saints are carrying on the same 
 design ; the glory of God, and the ad- 
 vancement of the kingdom and interest of 
 Christ; we should help one another by 
 prayer, that this great end may be at- 
 tained. 
 
 Usel. Of consolation. Saints have 
 more prayers going for them than they are 
 aware of. Those that you never saw, nor 
 shall see in this world, are concerned for 
 you, and are desiring that you may have 
 that grace and strength which you need> 
 considering the difficulty of your work, 
 and your many adversaries. As every 
 one should pray for all, so all are praying 
 for every one ; and this is matter of great 
 encouragement. 
 
 Use 2 Of reproof to those that are of 
 a selfish spirit, wlio are all for themselves, 
 but Zion they look not after. These have 
 neither love to Christ, nor to their own 
 
200 ALL SAINTS. 
 
 souls upon a right footing. If they loved 
 tiie Head, they would be solicitous for the 
 welfare of the body ; and if they truly 
 desire the good of their own souls, they 
 would have pity on the souls of others 
 that are of equal value. 
 
 Use 3. Of exhortation. Be more fre- 
 quent and fervent in praying for all the 
 saints. This will be a great argument 
 that you are indeed members of the body 
 of Christ, when all your fellow-members 
 are loved ; when you feel their sorrows, 
 and are concerned for their welfare. 
 
 1 . Pray for the saints' unity, that they 
 maybe knit together in love; their beauty 
 lies much in their agreement, and their 
 strength in their being united. But if a 
 house or kingdom be divided, division 
 has a tendency to destruction. Christ 
 prayed that his disciples " might be one," 
 as that which would serve very much to 
 convince the world that God had sent 
 
ALL SAINTS. 201 
 
 him. For the divisions of saints is not 
 the least cause of prevailing infidelity, and 
 of men's questioning the very truth of 
 Christianity. 
 
 2. Pray for the saints' purity, that the 
 Church may be more and more cleansed, 
 and conformed to the holy doctrine of 
 the gospel, and like her holy Head the 
 Lord Jesus. 
 
 3. Pray for the saints' prosperity, espe- 
 cially for those glorious and peaceable 
 times after antichrist's ruin, and the calling 
 home of the Jev^^s, when the kingdoms of 
 the world shall become the kingdoms of 
 the Lord and of his Christ. 
 
 4. Pray for the saints' increase ; and in 
 thus doing you are kind unto the world. 
 Beg that the prince of darkness may lose, 
 and that Christ may gain more and more 
 subjects every day, and that out of the 
 quarry of mankind more may be taken 
 
202 ALL SAINTS. 
 
 to be made living stones in the Lord's 
 temple. 
 
 5. Pray for the saints' support under 
 all oppressions, for their perseverance to 
 the end ; and that the Lord Jesus would 
 hasten his second appearing, when all his 
 church shall be triumphant, when devils 
 and the reprobate world shall be confined 
 to hell, and all the elect shall join together 
 in shouting forth hallelujahs unto him 
 that sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb 
 for ever. 
 
 Tlius have I finished this argument of 
 Prayer. What are now your resolutions! 
 Shall there be prayerless families still, or 
 any strangers unto secret duty, notwith- 
 standing all that has been spoken ? May 
 pardon, and grace, and life, and salvation 
 be all obtained for asking ! and will you 
 not do thus much ? will you neither be 
 
ALL SAINTS. 203 
 
 earnest for others nor for your ownselves ? 
 Shall none of the directions that have been 
 given be followed? Shall all the argu- 
 ments that have been used be unsuc- 
 cessful? 
 
 O Thou that coramandest and hearest 
 prayer ! O Thou that helpest thy people 
 to pray ! pour out tlie spirit of grace and 
 supplication; that thy throne of grace 
 may be surrounded with supplicants, that 
 there may be a great flocking to the mercy- 
 seat, and grace may be imparted abun- 
 dantly to thy own glory, through Jesus 
 Christ the great High Priest, who is passed 
 into the heavens, and is at thy right-hand 
 for ever. Amen. 
 
rHINTED BY L. B. SEELEY, 
 WKSTON-GRF.PN, THAMES-DITTON.