The duty of watching unto prayer - And watching thereunto

           These words present us with the fourth branch in the apostle’s directory for prayer, which I called prayer’s guard.  Prayer to the saints is as the great artillery to an army—of great use to defend them, and of as great force to do execution upon their enemies; it therefore needs the stronger guard to be set about it, lest it be taken from them, or turned against them by the enemy.  Now the guard which the Spirit of God here appoints this great ordinance of prayer, is watching—‘watching thereunto.’  Watching is either or improper, literal or metaphorical.  First. Watching, literally taken, is an affection of the body.  But, Second. Watching is taken metaphorically for the vigilancy or watchfulness of the soul.

           First. Watching, literally taken, is an affection of the body.  That only can properly be said to watch which is subject to sleep; and so the body is, but not the soul.  Thus, to watch in a religious sense is a vol­untary denying of our bodies sleep, that we may spend either the whole or part of the night in pious exercises.  Thus the Jews kept the night of the pass­over holy, Ex. 12:42.  Our Saviour oft spent the night in prayer, Matt. 14:23; 26:38.  We find Paul treading in his Lord and Master’s steps, ‘In watchings, in fast­ings,’ II Cor. 6:5.  Many a sweet spiritual junket holy David’s devout soul got in the night, when others lay in their bed: ‘My soul shall be satisfied as with mar­row and fatness,...when I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches,’ Ps. 63:5, 6. No doubt, for a devout soul, upon some extra­ordinary occasions—so superstition be avoided and health regarded—thus to watch unto prayer is not only laudable but delectable.  Vig­iliæ in quantum val­etudinem non perturbant, si orando, psal­lendo, le­gendo sumantur, in delicias spirituales convertuntur —happy soul, that can thus steal in the dark into the arms of his beloved, and watch for devotion while others watch to do mischief or fill themselves with impure delights (Augustinus).  This is the Christian, whose soul, like Gideon’s fleece, shall be filled with the dews and influences of heaven above others.  But, The duty of watching unto prayer

           Second. Watching is taken metaphorically for the vigilancy or watchfulness of the soul.  This is principally meant here, and in other scriptures, where we are commanded to watch, Mark 13:35; Rev. 16:15; I Thes. 5:6; I Peter 5:8; cum multis aliis—with many others.  Now we shall the better understand what duty is imposed upon the Christian under this word [watching], if we consider what bodily watching is. Two things it imports—waking and working.  When a man wakes in the night to attend some business then to be done, such a one only truly watcheth; a man that sleeps not in the night, but to no purpose, for no business he hath to despatch, he may be said to wake but not to watch, for this relates to some em­ployment he hath in charge to look to.  Thus the shepherds are said to ‘keep watch over their flock by night,’ Luke 2:8, and the disciples ‘watched’ with Christ while they sat up to wait on him the night before his passion, Matt. 26:40.  So that, for a Christian to watch in a spiritual sense is to preserve his soul awake form sin in the height of this world, that he may keep the Lord’s charge and do the duty imposed upon him as a Christian.  Now prayer being one principal duty he is to attend and intend with all his might, therefore watching is very often joined with it, Matt. 26:41; Mark 13:33; Luke 21:36; Col. 4:2; I Peter 4:7.  In handling this duty of watching unto prayer, I shall show, First. Why the Christian is to watch unto prayer.  Second.  Wherein the duty of watchfulness, in reference to prayer, consists.  Third. I shall set the Christian’s watch for him, by giving some little counsel and help towards his performing this duty of watchfulness; for it is not a temporary duty, but for his whole lifetime.